Welcome to Fabulous LAS VEGAS!

“What happens here, stays here!”

Where can you find a city that never sleeps? Where can you find a city that houses countless shows, hotels, casinos and bright lights? Where can you find a city that houses buffets, legalized prostitution, shotgun weddings, gambling and tons of fun?! If this place were to exist, what would we call this magical “sin city”? You guess it!

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Discovered in 1829 by the Spanish and finally incorporated into a city in 1911, the city of Las Vegas is now a booming metropolis, as over 1.5 million people call this city home. The city sits in a valley nestled into the Spring Mountains.

Originally a way station for those headed from the east to Los Angeles, Las Vegas became an inceasingly popular stop for those who enjoyed the liberal laws in gambling and prostitution allowed by the state of Nevada. Now, over 38 million people visit the city each year and as the tourism sector
began to move out of the downtown area in the late 1980s, Las Vegas’s “the Strip” was born. The construction is ongoing and the Strip now houses 17 of the 20 largest hotels and resorts in the United States. At any given time, there can be over 3000 people working at any of one of the big hotels, as well as the additional hundreds of people staffed in the retail shops and restaurants, which all support the tourism sector. Electricity and drinking water are provided by the hydropower plant at Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, respectively, on the Colorado River.


Now the adult equivalent to a city-sized amusement park, Las Vegas has grown the reputation of the Sin-City and what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

In short, my Vegas experience was a good one. Staying at the Westin, just one block off the central strip, located on the same road that divides the Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, the Flamingo and Bally’s, I was in an excellent location.

Living in London, I neglected my workout regime, ate poorly/often not enough and lost a lot of weight. Having been in Las Vegas for one week, I now know why America is facing an obesity crisis. Buffets. Buffets are delicious and allow you to eat as much as you can possibly imagine. I took advantage of the situation, and in 6 nights gained about 5 pounds back.

Most people go to Vegas to see shows and gamble. We did both of those. I was fortunate enough
to see the acclaimed Cirque du Soleil show, “O”, which featured a stage half made out of water. We also got tickets to see the imfamous Jerry Seinfeld at Caesar’s Palace, as Celine was taking a few days off for Christmas.

I can now say that I have officially lost money in Las Vegas. As opposed to losing at just at one or two casinos, I spread out my losses. I diversified my portfolio. I branched out from the few. However, the biggest difference between losing money at a casino in Canada and a casino in Vegas is, of course, free drinks. After losing tons of money playing Texas Hold-em, I gave up and decided to try my luck at the slots, which was kind of stupid, since everyone knows the house holds an overwhelming advantage on the slot machines.
After playing quarter slots and realizing the drinks just kept coming as long as I was seated at a machine and continued to lose, I decided to conduct an experiment at the penny slots. Surprise, surprise, it worked! Drinks came to the penny slots too! What this eventually meant is that no only was I getting free drinks, I wasn’t losing nearly as much money! All in all, I lost money at the Bellagio, Caesar’s palace, Harrah’s, Imperial Palace, The Westin, The Mirage, Bourbon Street, in no particular order, but what’s Vegas if you don’t lose anything?


Initially, I thought 6 nights would be way too long and to be honest, after about the first three nights I had kind of had too much. There were just too many people and the hustle and bustle was just too much to handle. But on the fourth day, we got out of the city and headed to Red Rock Canyon, just west of the city, which was surprisingly probably the highlight of my trip, especially because so few people get the opportunity to see this area.

Other highlights? I was able to meet up with a friend I met on an Alaskan cruise a few years back. It’s always nice to have connections wherever you go. I’ve also been practicing my American accent. Now, HOW BOUT THAT?!



Overall, the Vegas experience was great. It was nice to be IDed everywhere I went, free drinks are ALWAYS good and it was just great to be with family. Although it is in the desert, contrary to popular belief, winter in Las Vegas is not hot. Nightlife is something I wouldn’t mind getting back down for and I believe everyone should have the opportunity to make Vegas a stop. Whether you want to gamble, sight see, or just cash in on some outlet shopping, Sin City will have something for you…even if you’re not all that sinful.