Las Vegas, Nevada

I had this brilliant idea to take advantage of cheap hotel rooms and access to critical amenities (like Amazon delivery lockers and grocery stores) in Las Vegas. As with so many things that seemed like a good idea at the time, there were ... hey, wait. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?

Here's a photostream to give you a glimpse of the experience.

The less famous Las Vegas sign from St. Louis Square in the Arts District. Tried to walk the strip after school one day and realized after a mile that the "The Strip Starts Here" sign outside of the Sahara was facing the wrong direction. Excellent Denny's to eat at here, though.

Piper was all for the table games, but lack of thumbs and specist regulations against dogs kept her away.

We stayed at this hotel. It was, in fact, a circus of an experience. Pro-tip: pack light. Everything, including using a cart to bring your own bags up to your room, has an additional fee.

A high point for our choice of lodging: free circus acts on the Midway!

I did actually try to drive down the strip and it was just about as you would expect it. No critical parking spaces just out front of the casinos for the protagonist to conveniently park in, but otherwise accurate to the many film and television iterations.

I was able to receive two Amazon deliveries of critical goods from local lockers (at the hotel, they charge you $7 to walk down to the front desk and pick it up yourself); my two hour pizza delivery time from Dominoes scored me a free pizza in the next 30 days; and I conveniently had my own refrigerator with me so was able to haul it up (and later down) the maze of elevators so I could have food in the room.

If I ever make a return trip to Vegas, I hope to walk the Strip at night and see the fountains outside the Bellagio and the volcano outside the Mirage. The Sphere looked pretty awesome, too. Everything else required too much luck to be my cup of tea (which you could not make in your room because the "4-star resort" did not have the standard amenities of a 2-star highway motel).

Lest you leave this post thinking that the whole Vegas stop was a bust or that it isn't worth visiting at all, I will say that it is a good hub for access to a number of local, state, and national parks. I also learned a lot about light pollution and was able to avoid seeing anyone unclothed. To see what happens next when I take these winnings on the road, you'll have to keep coming back.