I am at a stage in my life where traveling is becoming a luxury that I can afford to reward myself with. Don't get me wrong, vacations are few and far between and I am not getting away for weeks at a time to exotic beaches. However, 2 - 3 times a year I get a few days off and plan some sort of getaway. Generally that means one of two things; 1 - I travel to see a concert that really peaks my interest (for example last year I went to Lollapalooza in Chicago to see Pearl Jam and about 200 other bands,) 2 - I head to Vegas. I have learned in my many trips to Sin City that this city is probably the best in America, especially for a quick weekend getaway.

It is the one city that the less you have planned the more you will probably do. It is also the city where being a complete jack@ss is not only okay, but most of the time it is expected. For girls it is like Halloween everyday. That can also be read - Girls don't wear very much clothing. There is never a long wait for booze and you can drink in any atmosphere you could ever wish for. Where else can you walk down one street and be magically whisked away to New York, Egypt, Paris, or Rome. On the very same street you will meet pirates, knights, rock stars, and thousands of people handing out the phone numbers of female escorts. That begs the question of: Is there anything that Vegas cannot do?

I have been to Vegas 4 times since turning 21 (once before) and each trip was uniquely different and fantastic. Below is a short breakdown of each trip to Vegas and how insanely different each was.

The 21st Birthday Trip: For my birthday I go to Vegas with my Brother, Cousin, Dad, and Brother's friend. We stay in a suite at the Rio, get hammered on the plane and I lose $100 on a Let It Rid table in the first 15 minutes on the floor. My dad and I head to the pool to get some drinks catch some sun. My dad hops in the pool with his cell phone which of course is ruined. We see everything on the strip. Get drunk and gamble all night downtown and don't get to sleep before sun up any day of the trip. It was very memorable, yet hard to remember many details. If you are looking for a cool bar in Vegas check out the Tilted Kilt in the Rio it is like a Hooters with a Scottish twist.

The get drunk and plan a trip trip: So one night while in college I end up spending a night out with my cousin drinking and remembering our last trip to Vegas. We basically wake up the next day and realize we have booked tickets to Vegas and but do not have a hotel. Somehow this ends up being okay with his wife and we continue to plan the trip. We realize that we picked an expensive weekend to be in Vegas and I was in college and was pretty much broke anyway. We counter this by not booking a hotel room for the first night and I sell my PS2 and everything that goes with it in order to get some gambling cash. This turns out to be probably the most memorable trip of the 4. We of course get drunk on the plane and arrive at the Sahara with nothing but the backpacks we traveled with and 24 hours until we could check into our hotel. Not a problem. We had a drink at every hotel on the strip all in one insanely crazy stretch. It took 28 hours and we have pictures at every hotel on the trip. One highlight form this trip was going into one hotel when it was completely dark and leaving the same hotel when it was completely bright and sunny. I know this does not sound that cool, but when you are about 18 hours into a 28 hour drinkathon you would be surprised how sweet some things are.

The graduation trip: Graduate college and I was rewarded with a trip for myself and room for 3 friends. My Cousin was there again and a couple of buddies joined in the fun. It was a blast. We stayed at the Hooters Hotel and Casino. There was obviously nice eye-candy at the hotel and there was plenty going on that trip as well. I lost my phone about an hour into the trip while riding the rollercoaster on top of New Your, New York. We also learned that you can be kicked out of the pool for being too drunk at the Hooters. This was shocking because there is a swim up bar. We were actually kicked out of the pool 4 times although after the first day I think they kind of had it out for us. Still nobody was arrested and the security guards were actually kind of cool about it. We ended up drinking with them at the bar when they got off work.

The last trip: Me and one buddy on a weekend get away trip. We got in late and also didn't get a hotel room that night. We met an old friend from high school (let me add that she is smoking hot) at the airport before taking off. The flight was delayed and we all found our way to the airport bar. Good times were had by all. We stayed at the Sahara that time. The night was pretty uneventful and neither me nor my buddy really felt all that drunk until we found out that we were talking to hookers at the bar in O'Sheas. Almost right at the same time we realized what was going on and high tailed it out of there. Good Times, Good Times. Other than that this was the most uneventful trip. There was more gambling than before, and still plenty of booze and good times.

Now I have the itch again. I need to get away from the Midwest and see the glitter and lights of the Entertainment Capital of the World. There is one thing that I can always be sure of when I head to Vegas - I will have a great time and only remember some of it J