What They Don't Tell You About Vegas: Transportation

Basically it is bad.

This will be the only time that I will say that Google Maps is totally incorrect.  If it says that public transportation will take an hour, tack on three more hours and you'll have an idea of how long it will take to get there.  Vegas is bigger than you think it is, and it takes forever to get anywhere.   One time my friend took public transportation home; She traveled 14 miles in 4 hours.  I'm dead serious.

Everything is so far away, walking is just not an option.  When it is, you are better off just driving due to the weather.  Either it is too hot, or people just assume that you are homeless.  Unless you are hanging out in a park smelling good, just don't spend time outside.  The only time I've walked around anywhere, it was just me and homeless people. It was so awkward that I never wanted to walk anywhere again.  In fact when I was back home and someone suggested walking somewhere, I almost said "We aren't homeless, why would we walk?"

This is how out of touch Vegas makes you sometimes.

Things They Don't Tell You About Las Vegas: Free Parking

Not only free valet (if you don't count tipping), but free self parking nearly everywhere.  Even downtown if you park in a lot owned by a casino, most of them will have a place to validate it inside that casino.

Quick story: I've lived in the state all my life, and so I'm flabbergasted every time I'm faced with paying for parking.  In recent years it's even tacked onto hotel charges in LA, which I think is so stupid.

About 6 years ago I went on a crazy day trip to LA with some friends.  We went to Santa Monica and paid to park in a parking garage.  About $10, but because it was a touristy area I just accepted it and we went about our day.  Later on that evening we were meeting a friend in Hollywood, and we drove around for what seemed like forever until we found a place to park.  It stated it was valet, so I drove up and started to get out of the car.  The guy stopped me, then pointed me towards the back of the super tiny garage and told me to park it myself.  I parked it, then he said that no, I had to back it in.

Y'all, I'm not good at backing anything in, let alone my friend's car that I wasn't used to driving.  We made it work though, and finally got out of the car 100 years later.  Then the valet said "Okay, now I need $20 and the keys to the car."

LA People, help me understand the logic in this.  I had to park my own the car the way that HE wanted it parked, and now he was what, robbing us?  Did he even work there?  That is totally bullshit.  I told him to go screw himself, and we parked in a residential area and just prayed that we didn't get a ticket.  We didn't.

How the story would have gone in Vegas: We parked, we partied, we left happy.  We didn't walk up any hills to get there, and everything went well.  Put away your money and park your car for free here.

What They Don't Tell You About Vegas: Traffic and Cars

Las Vegas is a very transient town. People come and go, bringing their experiences and driving habits with them.  When you take driving habits from all over the country and put it together with non-stop construction, you get some of the worst traffic issues in the country.

It's not that you have to be in traffic for hours like LA, but you might get stuck for an hour on the freeway between two exits at 9:30 at night.  That delay could be due to construction, a tiny accident, or literally nothing at all.

I took this photo as a passenger a few weeks ago.  This is one lane of traffic.  People go wherever they want.  The one on the right did not turn right at the next street.  They all just kept on going, trying to outrun each other until they reached the part where the street narrows and they couldn't do this anymore.  There are these type of streets all over Vegas, and I've seen people run other people off the road to be the first.


It's also a very dry climate, so when you are on the freeway you will get a lot of cracks on your windshield from larger vehicles.  They'll range from ones you hear but can't see to ones that might take out your entire windshield.

Good news though!  Most car insurance will cover the repairs, which only take minutes and sometimes are available at car washes.  Take care of them at least once a month, because it will add up quickly and then you are stuck paying for a brand new one.  It's also a good idea, while you are here, to have full coverage on your insurance. 

Technically you aren't a local until you've gotten into a car accident.

Drive like you are in NASCAR and take care of those windshield dings, and you'll be just fine.

Electronic Nightmare

So, this is my first year attending CES.  And I came from somewhere else, so I was ill-prepared today for what I got. I wasn't wearing the right shoes to go traipsing through the electronic daisies, and I got a blister on my foot to prove it.

Seminars that cost $550 each (thanks for mentioning that in your tweet, iJustine. /sarcasm), billions of people walking AND checking their phones at the same time (Bowling for Tourists, anyone?) it was madness.  I basically spent most of my time trying to find the room iJustine was having her thing in, then finding out I had to "register" for it first, and then finding out it was like, two car payments just to get in.  Sorry girl, I'm not that big of a fan. 

Tomorrow I will start again, and try and get through the show.  Wish me luck!  And if you are going, let me know and we'll meet up!

Panic Attack

Getting out of my development has become challenging.  Since the opening of a recent street, there is a non-stop stream of cars and I'm the one with the stop sign.  It sometimes takes 10 minutes just to get out.

Can I call someone about this?  The city or something?  I really want to like, steal some stop signs and just make it a 4 way stop.

I almost got hit coming out the other day, because someone got angry that I was being cautious and whipped around me as I was pulling out.  It was a serious near miss, and it really scared me.  Then of course, there were the usual traffic shenanigans on the way to the store, the other near misses that are everyday occurrences in this crazy town.

Then, the store was insane.  I thought after Christmas they put those annoying crazy people away, but I was wrong.  I couldn't get half my list because I couldn't get to anything.  It's like these people weren't even shopping, they were just hanging out...in front of everything I needed.  And they all just don't care.  I almost walked out of the store without getting anything.

When did parents stop teaching manners?  And is it just here, or is the entire country?  I swear I want to lock myself away in my house and never leave again.  It's become so difficult to go out and endure people being rude to me.  I don't want to go out, I don't want to "meet up" for drinks anymore.  I've officially become anti-social. 

All because of you crazy traffic people.