My First Solo Trip to Las Vegas

"You're the only person I know who goes to Vegas with plans to do all this other stuff besides the casinos," said my brother as I rattled on about what I was gonna do once I got to Las Vegas.


Don't get me wrong; give me a chunk of money and a hot streak and I'll gamble the night away and roll around naked in my winnings in the morning. I wanna be a whale; flying into McCarran International Airport on a private jet, driven to my villa and eat meals prepared by a personal chef.

But I can't resist the call of the other side. What's down that block? What's down that hole? What happened here 40 years ago?

So off I went to Las Vegas, camera in tow. Yes, I did The Strip and didn't care if I looked like the biggest tourist dork gazing upward most of the time and taking landmark selfies (1, 2, 3, 4). But I also had plans to walk along desert roads, experience the Las Vegas art scene, drink where the locals drink and channel my inner Danny Ocean.