Day 39: I’m not addicted to blackjack – I’m addicted to sitting in a semi-circle

DAY 39: Las Vegas, Nevada
Miles traveled: 6,260
States visited: 19
Weather: 96, sunny

Las Vegas is a ridiculous city. Every hotel has dozens of slots machines and roulette tables – even the Super 8. This was my first experience gambling and because I’m such a high roller, I decided to spend $10 on the penny and nickel slots.

The first stop was the MGM Grand. They have lions inside this casino.

I started by playing $5 at the Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve slot machine. Within minutes, I had made a cool 39 cents profit.

I lost a few bucks on the Press Your Luck game. But I got it back on a slot machine called the Little Green Man. Ultimately I lost the $10 but I got to gamble for a few hours so it was fun. I was wise to set a spending limit so as not to bankrupt myself. I can see how people could easily become addicted to gambling.

Jason was winning like crazy. He put a dollar in one of the penny slots and a few minutes later had turned it into $57. On the same machine that I absolutely could not win at. This is why I’m not a gambler. It would be way too frustrating.

There are billboard trucks in Vegas that do nothing more than drive around the streets to advertise whatever is on their billboard, like the Wayne Brady comedy show at the Venetian. There are also temp workers everywhere handing out flyers for escort services – if you’re interested, their phone number is 696-9696. Sin City definitely lives up to its name.

I resisted the urge to get hitched while in town.

Driving in Las Vegas is pure misery. Every single road in Las Vegas is under construction. And you have to sit at every intersection for what feels like forever. And the van was too big to fit in most parking garages so we had to park in some casino lot a mile away to get to the Vegas strip. There isn’t much public transportation to speak of. I could never stand living here.

Las Vegas is the one major American city that I always used to tell people I had no desire to see. And now that I’ve been here, I can pretty much guarantee I’ll never be back. This is a useless city.

Up next on my travel adventure itinerary: Going back to Cali!