I have to admit: I just do not understand the allure of Vegas vacations and road trips. Vegas vacations are exceedingly popular in the winter, especially when people have time off after Christmas. What if you hate to gamble? There is a wide variety of entertainment for people that do not enjoy gambling, such as the many shows. There are malls for those who love to shop, and the one thing you must watch is your money in Las Vegas. So people love to go to Las Vegas, but have you ever had a bizarre Vegas trip experience? I had stop at the Vegas airport one time for a connecting flight to Kansas, but unlike many other Southern Californians, I have only ever been to the city for one vacation. I am sure most people have a grand old time if they go with good family or friends, but I ended up going with someone that I thought was a boyfriend, but by the end of the trip we ended up having a very annoying argument. As I travel back to a weird Vegas vacation in the year 2003.
Many Americans fly to Vegas because the drive would be a little too long, but for my one vacation I actually drove with my then boyfriend. This three to four hour drive from the cities near Los Angeles can be very manageable if you go with someone you enjoy spending time with, but I would not recommend going with a person you have only been dating for a few months. When he planned this trip to Vegas we had only been dating for two months, so granted we had really not spent that much time together. I actually had a few reservations about going, but he talked about how much he cared about me at the time, and how close he was feeling to me. It turned out I was the very first woman who had ever agreed to date him, so at the time he was very excited about that, but deep down I was really not the type of girl he wanted to date. A few months before I had just broken up with my first long-term boyfriend, and I was using this relationship as a way to get over the hurt of that rejection. Looking back I was very insecure in this way in my early twenties, and placed way too much importance in being in a relationship. A few more experiences would make me realize being single is actually best, for me anyway.
The Vegas Boyfriend (as I will refer him for this story) suggested that I bring some music along for the ride, but I was apprehensive about that. For some reason I was always too shy to have people listen to the type of music I enjoyed, especially since I had been taunted in sixth grade for bringing a Jethro Tull tape in to share in our music class. Even though I liked a lot of the music from the eighties, I ended up liking a lot of the songs of my parents generation. The Vegas Boyfriend was the type who listened to hip hop, so I knew right off the bat he would not understand my penchant for the Moody Blues or Boston. Even though he had been adamant about me bringing some of the music I enjoyed, I refused too out of shyness.
The Wednesday morning when he picked me up and we began the four hour drive out to gambling mecca. Vegas Boyfriend acted sort of aloof, and made some curt comment about my new hair cut, which was disconcerting since my mom and friends had loved it. By the time we were about twenty miles from my house, I realized I had forgotten my cell phone, but I refused to make him go back and get it. The funny thing is he was willing to accommodate me, but for some reason I was too apprehensive to make any hassles. I have never liked people making a fuss over me, and I often defer to what others want and need in socials situations. That is just the way I am, but it turns out he held it against me that I did not make him go back to get my cell phone.
On the ride to Vegas we listened to some of his music, and soon after driving through Barstow he assked me if I would like to play one of my CD's. I told them mine were packed away and I had never bothered getting them out since I had moved back to the mountains, and I could tell he did not quite buy this statement.
He made some odd comment about "Well it is nice you could come," and then tuned the radio into one of the high desert stations people can pick up on the drive between Barstow and Baker.
The ride was very monotonous, but at least the high desert oldies station was better than the hip hop stations Vegas Boyfriend had been listening to before we reached Barstow. Yes, I know many people enjoy hip hop Vegas Boyfriend liked to play. I liked certain hip hop songs, but overall it is just not my favorite type of music.
The one plus to the trip was some of the magnificent desert scenery, and I was in awe to see that Joshua Trees growing out of the boulder laden hills surrounding Baker. These tend to grow at higher altitudes, which indicated we had increased in elevation since leaving Barstow. Unfortunately, Baker is in the middle of nowhere and all there is a Del Taco, a few restaurants, a couple of gas stations, and many mobile homes. This is not a place I could even consider living, so traveling through here is quite a phenomenon.
The people of Baker have to drive a hundred and fifty miles to either Vegas or Barstow if they want to shop at a real grocery store, unless they are happy with the small amount of food carried in the small store there. Baker has a large thermometer that recorded the record temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit in 1912 for North America, but there is no other reason to stop there. Like so many other towns in the California high desert it is just a place to stop on the way to or from Vegas, but no one ever really thinks about the people living there.
The drive buzzed on like a dull root canal, except for Vegas Boyfriend making some banal comment about how there is no excuse for modern women to have acne. Not sure how this topic came up, but when mentioned something about how proactive was a sham, he insisted everyone should go to a dermatologist if they were prone to flare ups, especially since his uncle belonged this profession.
The Coupon King
Vegas Boyfriend had booked us a room at the Holiday Inn because he could get a discount with his mom's AAA card. When we got there it was very boring, and then he suggested we go shopping around at the mall. Of course he was in the search for coupons to get discounts on things to do.
He found some coupon which entitled two people to a free video game, and insisted we go try it out. Vegas Boyfriend prattled on about how his family always saved money with coupons, but I was really bored at this point. I wanted him to like me, but at the same time I was just not having a good time.
I Hate Smoking At Concerts In Las Vegas
When we arrived in Vegas I was already missing the California laws against smoking in public venues. One of the things I hate about Vegas people were always smoking at concerts, restaurants, and in other public places. Third Eye Blind was definitely not my cup of tea, but the standing floor seats were even worse. The people up on the balconies let the ashes from their cigarettes fall on us below,and by the end of the night I felt sick. At twenty-four I had only been to one other concert, and that was one with Match Box Twenty in San Diego, which had been a much calmer venue. Vegas concerts are for wild young party kids, and I was never into the club scene.
I was beginning to realize that my deciding to try new things like Vegas was just not for me. We spent the rest of the week going out to eat at bargain places. The weirdest thing we did during the whole trip was sneak into the pool at the Tropicana because Vegas Boyfriend thought it was better than the one at the Holiday Inn. He even brought a cooler with sodas along so we would not have to pay for drinks there.
By the third day of our trip I was so sick of people smoking in public, and I just wanted to go back home to California. I was preparing to start a new job the next week, and I highly regretted having taken the time to come with Vegas. We really did not seem to have much to talk about, and the icing on the cake was when he broke up with me by stating he just did not find me attractive.
On the way home though I did get my revenge by finally speaking my mind, and letting him know what I thought about ever little snippy thing he had said. At the Del Taco in Baker I definitely scolded him, which probably was the entertainment for the week. People waiting in line to get their food seemed very intent on what I had to say, even though I was not screaming at him.
Even though I was not having the time of my life in Vegas, I had hoped that he would at least make more of an effort. However, gambling was not really my thing, and he seemed to enjoy going to old town Vegas to play the dollar games. I had not really been sure what to expect on my first trip to Vegas, but that has been the first and last one I have been on.
Ever since then I have never felt the inclination to go, and gambling is not my thing. One of the good things about Vegas is the buffets, but you can get these at the local California casinos if you want to stay home. All these years later I chuckle when thinking about my Vegas vacation, but I really have no deep desire to go again. As I said people would probably have a grand old time if they actually go with people they like, or if they enjoy gambling. Vegas is just not my thing. Tahiti or Hawaii are much better places to go on vacation.
