I survived my first trip to Las Vegas. Fortunately for my body’s sake, I was there for work, so the possible level of debauchery was seriously limited by an early morning call time of 7:45. But regardless of work commitments I was able to take in the sights and sounds of Las Vegas. I roamed the strip during the day, saw the fountain show at the Bellagio and sat by a card table (did. not. play.) in one of the casinos to mooch off the free drink policy.

I had a few fancy dinners (thanks dad), but a lot more meals made of snacks from the CVS food aisle. I don’t think I ever ate a real breakfast, but certainly consumed about 6 times more coffee than normal. Many nights I drank wine on the balcony of my hotel room. Other nights I ventured to the hotel bars. One night I went to Marquee. I was staying at the Cosmopolitan and our conference had an open bar reception there, but I unfortunately experienced no run ins with a celeb. I was really, seriously hoping for Kim K (I kid you not).

I have to admit, I didn’t really love Las Vegas. In fact, I barely liked it. The whole strip was far too food court mall meets cheesy bright lights, and the people I saw depressed me. Gambling in general depresses me, so it didn’t help to leave my hotel room each morning at 8 to see old men and women still seated in front of a card table or slot machine.

But Vegas was good for one thing, and that’s blue skies all day every day. Which makes for extra sharp photos of incredibly big buildings. Before you browse, I apologize for not taking a SINGLE PICTURE OF MYSELF on this trip. Whoops.