Some travel trips should not be shared or written about.  Maybe this is one of them.  A spontaneous March weekend with low airfare presented itself for myself and friends to make a trip to Vegas.  This was my first time ever visiting Sin City.  Not plugging Spirit airlines, but they have some cost efficient air fare.  Jordan and Tommy are experienced Vegas travelers and have been there multiple times.  Their friend Chuck joins us as well.  Chuck is under the weather, and he struggles to gather his bearings as we make our way to Tommy's brother's car.  We would later find out Chuck  has a fever of over 103.

As we make our way through security in Chicago, the TSA agent ( with a smile) requests me say loudly “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!”

We land in Las Vegas late. I packed light for this weekend, just a backpack.  We head to our hotel, the Luxor.  The giant pyramid hotel is actually the 9th largest hotel in the world.  After waiting in a long line, we finally check in.  Chuck passes out from sickness, and Tommy, Jordan and I begin our first night in Vegas.  We start by hitting the bar at the Luxor Casino for some food and drinks.  Lots of hotels will give vouchers for food when checking in, don’t forget to use them.  The number of slots and gaming machines is unbelievable.  It is insane how many of the machines are occupied.  We end up wandering around in New York, New York.  There’s fake streets and even alley ways with fake graffiti.  It is so cheesy that it is wonderfully good.  Grabbing a late night slice of pizza, it’s  confusing to even know what time it is.

The following day Chuck makes it to a pharmacy and receives over the counter medications.  We walk up and down the strip taking in the fountains, sights, and entertainers.  The most disappointing thing about the whole trip was the weather.  It rained all day and not just a drizzle. At one point it was pouring.  Later in the day, Chuck has rallied and is ready to join us for a night out.  Pumped for our night out together we take a celebratory shot.  Immediately following the shot, Tommy and Chuck run to the bathroom to throw up…  Chuck is down for the count again.  Tommy recovers and we head to check out Fremont Street.  

Fremont Street is in  the old side of Vegas.  One advantage to this side is cheaper drinks and slot machines.  We wander about the casinos and outside as zipliners glide about us.  Once again the rain is too much to handle, and we are absolutely drenched.  We take cover in one of Tommy and Jordan's favorite bars in Vegas, The Griffin.  The Griffin is dark lounge bar with candles burning and two fireplaces inside.  We order drinks around the fire and talk to strangers from all around the world.  After warming up, we make our to the back of the bar where separate doors lead to a small club like room, with music and dancing.  There's a bar back there too.  This is the point in the night gets really foggy and is a blur..

The following morning I Facetime my girlfriend at the time, (now my wife).  I apologize for not texting her, but I had made it back safely the previous night.  Over the conversation she tells me about a documentary she saw about the homeless population living under the streets of Vegas.  When it rains their living areas get flooded so they come up to the streets.  This is true, and it really freaked me out.  For the rest of the trip my eyes were glued on the strip wondering if any of the people were coming out from the tunnels.  

Chuck is finally feeling better.  Tommy and Jordan are still sleeping so Chuck and I hit the streets.  It’s nice to see him moving and not in bed.  We make our way down the strip taking in the sights and sounds.  Somehow we end up in Senor Frogs, a restaurant inside the Treasure Island Casino.  I am ashamed to write this, but we both order yard long strawberry daiquiris.  However I am happy Chuck is having a good time.  There was a reunion tour the night before for Guns N Roses.  I pick up a discounted shirt from a vendor.  From that moment on I would high five and yell Guns N Roses to every other person I saw wearing their apparel.

Chuck and I meet back up with with Tommy and Jordan and head through the various casinos.  The Flamingo Casino has some of the cheapest blackjack games.  We join a table and all start winning.  The depressing part is it’s always hard to walk away, and the quicker you win, the quicker you lose. Next we make our way through the Paris hotel among others. Even though there is already oxygen being pumped into the casinos, we decide to try an oxygen bar inside the Venetian Casino.  For 20 minutes we are given oxygen that is supposed to help revitalize our bodies.   Chuck chooses not to participate and  paces and walks around the stores in the area. Walking back to the Luxor, we stop at Caesar’s Palace and look at the seahorses in the aquariums.  The extravagancy and cost of some of these casinos is overwhelming.  We end the night by watching different musical acts.

The next day the sun is actually out for a bit.  The thing I actually wanted to do on this trip was soak up sun by the pool.  My plan for this weekend was to keep a low profile on social media... However, I was not the only one from work at the Luxor in Vegas this weekend!  What are the odds I would run into someone I knew?!? We had to post a selfie and share on Facebook.

Later in the afternoon the Luxor closed the pool for an unknown reason. SInce we don't have a pool, we are allowed to go over the Excalibur hotel’s pool next door.  Along the way we meet two girls from northern Ireland here on holiday.  I can tell this perks up Chuck.  Little did I know Chuck would later go on to be a finalist on Chicago's season of Married at First Sight.  After hanging around the pool, we end up going to an ice bar.  These places are really lame and can be costly, but we made a lot of fun out of it.  Following the ice bar, we split up as a group for a bit. We would later meet up to continue the same routine as the night before, weaving in and out of the many casinos on the strip.

Our last morning in Vegas, the sun was out in full force.  Chuck bought us all cowboy hats and chased around random kids by the pool.  A bucket of Bud Light lime was the perfect way to end the trip.  We stayed until the last minute.  I had to get patted down at the airport because my swim trunks were still wet as I boarded the plane.  Overall it was a great first experience in Las Vegas. Again, maybe some stories should not be shared and written..