Let's step away from the writing and vet med topics for a second and expound on the myriad of reasons why Las Vegas is probably in the Top 5 of The Most Awesome Places in the World. This is a timely topic since:
a. Winter is creeping in around the Mid Atlantic and I start to dream of dry deserts and palm trees
b. I'm running the Rock N Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon on Dec 2 and I am just dying to get there
I've been to Vegas three times before. Three wonderful, magical times. I love the place. If I were single and it was legally possible to marry a location, I would propose to it.
One of the reasons I frequent Las Vegas is because the annual Western Veterinary Conference is held out there in the beautiful Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. One of the annual national veterinary conferences in the US, the WVC is the West Coast's version of NAVC (North American Veterinary Conference) which is held annually in Florida. And why choose WVC over NAVC since Florida is closer to home than Nevada? No contest - I'd take Vegas over the humidity of Orlando any day.
However, I feel like I give people the wrong impression when I talk ad nauseum about my sincere love of Las Vegas. I'm not a big drinker (note the qualifier there), not much of a gambler (I yell at the video poker machine when I'm in the hole ten bucks), and not really in the market for strippers or prostitutes. But let me tell you, this is why I love Vegas:
1. Neon lights. There's just something about being able to walk down a street at 11 pm and have everything lit up like the middle of the day. Combine that experience with the fact that the lights are colorful and moving and blinking and are in the shapes of cowboys and martini glasses and castles and ... just... wow. Love it.
2. Weather. The dry desert weather does a person good. At least, does this person good. Even in the summer, when the mercury frequently climbs above 100, well, as they say: it's a dry heat. Also, the lack of rain is friendly to vacation plans - any time I've been there, the thought of rain ruining our plans never occurred to me. Also, on a side note, the geography of the place is a stunning bonus. A backdrop of mountains to frame a sunset across the desert is such a welcome sight to eyes used to seeing the comparatively bland forests and fields at the foot of the Appalachians. (Mind you, there are some lovely places out here: Assateague National Seashore and Shenandoah National Park to name a few. Mental side note: I owe you dear readers a good solid blog on the wonderful National Parks.)
3. Sequins. I can't think of anywhere else I've been where it's perfectly ok to wear sequins at any point during the day or night. And I do love sequins. (Would it be unprofessional to have my white DVM coat re-done with a simple sequin border? Yes? No?)
4. Best people watching ever. Walking the strip is an endless source of entertainment, no matter what time of day. 8:30 am? Hey, giggle at the drunks happily wandering out of the casinos, bleary-eyed and startled by that bright yellow orb in the sky. 4 pm? Catch a few people dressed as Elvis, or Hello Kitty, or Homer Simpson, or Batman. 2 am? Your guess is as good as mine.
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| mmmm wonderful, salty, broth-y pho |
- Ride the roller coaster outside New York New York
- Travel up the Eiffel Tower at Paris
- Visit the National Atomic Testing Museum
- Shoot a machine gun
- Ride to the top of the Stratosphere
- Visit the aquarium at Mandalay Bay
- Tour the art gallery at the Bellagio
- Visit the Neon Museum, City Hall, and the Nevada State Museum
- Red Rock Canyon
- Valley of Fire State Park
- Hoover Dam
- Grand Canyon
- Death Valley
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| Me, in 30 years |
I am totally in favor of you getting your white coat all sequined up. Of course, there are no guarantees that a dog will not express his anal glands on it, but those are the chances the fashionable take I guess.
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