What Happens in Vegas....
…stays in Vegas. Except for this trip review. In the last several years I’ve done more travel and have traveled more miles than I have in my entire life combined, except for the trips to visit relatives in Ukraine.
I joined nearly thirty others at the end of April for the Motor Bus Society’s 2019 Spring Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. This trip would mark my first time in the states of Nevada and Utah. I wouldn’t have been able to attend (or would most likely missed the convention) had it not been for the generosity of close friends covering the cost of airfare, hotel and convention costs.
On Thursday (April 25th) I left work a half hour early to get to Kennedy Airport to fly to Vegas. The subway and AirTrain ride proved to be seamless, and I arrived with plenty of time to both drop my checked bag and to go through security. I was mistaken about the first part, as the bag drop line at Terminal 4 was far longer than I would have liked. However, this was rush hour and the time of the evening where international flights were departing for Europe. Thankfully, the time it took to drop my bag and go through security was no more than a half hour. TSA PreCheck is well worth the $85 USD, despite having to go through the body scanner. Frequently I’ve given a false positive when going through security and I’ve become accustom to a pat-down or having to go through again.
Unlike Terminal 5 with the Boars Head Deli (my go-to when flying JetBlue), the dining options at Terminal 4 are not as much to my palette and I waited to get food on the plane. My flight departed New York on-time, but it took us almost an hour to take off because of both poor weather and international flights that were waiting to take off. I had the mesquite-smoked turkey combo, which tastes better than it looks. It brought back memories of the Delta “grab-bag” sandwiches they had back in the 1990s.
Once I arrived in Vegas, I found that it was a long slog to the baggage claim and to a taxi. I had considered taking the Westside Airport Express (WAX) bus operated by the Regional Transit Commission (RTC), the Las Vegas transit operator, but my closer friend (and surrogate uncle) Bob talked me into taking a taxi, which proved to be a good move due to time constraints. We had to be on the bus at 9AM, which did not allow for much time to get ready in the morning.
Friday (April 24th) was our first day in Las Vegas, and little of the day was spent in Vegas proper but instead visiting St. George, Utah, which is one of the fastest growing communities in the United States. The bus ride to St. George was probably one of the more scenic road trips I have been on, a reminder of why I have a soft spot for the West. Along the road we stopped at a Walmart in Mesquite.
St. George’s growth is by no means limited to the traditionally large families of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), better known as the Mormon Church. For our day trip to St. George, the tradition of Mormon hospitality was on full display. The St. George bus system, Sun Metro, had a manager and a bus to show us around the community. We made a stop (at my request) at the St. George Temple, the oldest continuously operating LDS temple in the world. LDS missionaries were there awaiting us, or at least noticed our crowd and were waiting to answer our questions. Because I was dressed too casually, I felt it inappropriate to wander further into the grounds of the temple. (It would have been impossible to go inside the temple as LDS temples are off-limits to anyone who is not a church member, with limited exceptions. Our lunch stop was at a barbecue joint in St. George, where I had funeral potatoes for the first time. Funeral potatoes are a culinary staple and a part of LDS culture, where the dish is frequently served at gatherings and other events.
After returning from St. George we took a bus tour around the strip which included a quick stop at the famed Las Vegas sign and a lengthier stop at the Fremont Street Experience (FSE). I found the FSE a little overwhelming, however it’s probably one of the better parts of Vegas to grab souvenirs. Our group also saw the volcano eruption at the Mirage Hotel.
Our second day in Vegas (Saturday, April 26) was supposed to be a rest day for myself and Bob, but was more tiring than Friday. We walked much of the strip, for a total of seven miles of walking, but also rode public transit. We started by riding a double decker bus assigned to RTC’s Deuce route to the FSE and then walked to the Plaza Hotel and Casino, home to what was the only Amtrak station in a casino in the United States. The station served Amtrak trains until 1997, and still has a mural in the hotel that clearly hints at one of the roles the hotel once served. The former station is now the hotel’s fitness center. Once our visit at the Plaza was complete myself and Bob walked to the SDX station to ride the bus back to the strip. The buses assigned to the SDX are the only of their kind in the United States.
After the trip to the Stratosphere, me and Bob took the Deuce bus back to the south end of the Strip, where the Mandalay Bay Resort is located. Much of the reason to head to Mandalay Bay was to ride the inter-resort tramways. There are three in Vegas, along with the monorail.
The final day in Vegas (Sunday April 28th) was mostly tourist-oriented. On our way to the Hoover Dam we stopped at the Lake Meade overlook, where our bus almost ran off a cliff because of an automatic transmission glitch. The tour of the Hoover Dam was spectacular, and our tour guide was very knowledgeable. After our tour of the dam we headed back to Vegas with a lunch stop in the food court of the Red Rock Casino in Summerlin (on the outskirts of the city) before stopping at the Royal Coach Tours south of the strip (which is where the Northern California-based company has their Vegas operation, presumably as part of an agreement with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders). Our final stop was at the South Strip Transfer Terminal (SSTT), where we observed a “pulse” along with a Megabus arrival.
After a farewell dinner with a few in our close circle, me and Bob departed for the airport. Going through security at McCarran Airport was on the borderline of frustrating, as I had to take off my belt, thus defeating one of the purposes of PreCheck. My flight to New York pushed out a little late as the ground crew was behind loading bags.
When I fly solo, I always try to make allowances for families traveling together. I swapped seats with this woman who must have been in her late 30s so she could sit closer to her husband and two kids. To begin, I struggle to sleep on a plane, but about two hours from New York the son of the family (probably eight or so) switches seats and when I wake up was watching the movie Ted. As someone who isn’t a parent (at least not yet) it’s not my job to judge what other people’s children watch.
My flight landed around 6:30 am New York time and we were at the gate at 6:45. My bags were a little late getting off the plane and I regret having not made Delta aware of my disappointment. After a delayed subway ride due to signal issues, I was home at around 9:00 and went to bed for a few hours. Finding myself not wanting to miss a full day of work, I jumped right in, going in for two and a half hours. While it might seem ridiculous to go in for just a few hours, it made Tuesday much easier.
Without a doubt this trip to Las Vegas was one of the more interesting trips I have made. Would I do it again? I’m not sure. While aesthetically pleasing, the high prices on the Strip would make it a once in a while trip.