Osheas

I hereby declare September to be Vegas Month at SoloFriendly.com! Why? Because I’m traveling solo to Vegas next week to enjoy a well-deserved 3.5 day, 4 night vacation, so when I return, I’m sure I’ll have all sorts of information, updates and goodies to report on. To kick things off, I thought I’d provide a little “sneak peek” now.

This is something of a budget trip for me, since I’d like to travel elsewhere later this year. So I’ll be splitting my stay between the MGM Grand on the far South end of the Strip (2 nights at a rate of $69/night) and Harrahs at Center Strip (2 nights at $45 and $49 respectively). I chose MGM because of the incredible rate, its gorgeous pool area, its location on the monorail, a $275 credit I have there through my rewards credit card, and because I’ve never stayed there before. (I like to try new places. ) I chose Harrahs because it’s located right where I love to be on the Strip, it’s got a fun atmosphere, and the price was fantastic. Those of you familiar with the various hotels and casinos in Las Vegas are probably aware that I’m in for very different experiences in those two hotels. More on that when I return.

I plan to spend the majority of Monday afternoon and evening at the Star Trek Experience’s last day of operation (sob!)–provided I can get in the door. I suspect it will be mobbed with Trekkies that day. Other highlights of the trip for me are a meet on Tuesday at the Peppermill’s Fireside Lounge (one of the last bastions of classic Vegas on the Strip) with some folks from the OpenVegas message forum, and another meet on Wednesday with some folks from the VegasWatch message forum.

My goals are: To eat (and drink!) in as many new venues as I can manage to squeeze in (yeah, it’s a tough job, but….); take some fabulous photos with my digital camera and new tripod; check out the new Palazzo and Planet Hollywood hotels; keep my total vacation expenses to $1,000 or less; actually win some money (or at least break even); and stay up past midnight every night. That last one is a killer for me, coming from the East Coast, since that’s 3a.m. my time. I’ve never managed it in my previous five trips to Vegas, but this time I have a secret weapon: Awake, a caffeine-free energy drink. I’ll let you know how that goes.

If I have time to access a computer during my trip, I’ll try to post something “Live from Las Vegas”; otherwise, you’ll hear from me after September 5th.