Avoiding clichéd Vegas quote here....

I could say something about "leaving Las Vegas," or about things that stay in Vegas, or the usual standby, "Vegas, baby!" but I'll spare you. Instead just the details.

We went there for the food.

And honest to god, I mean that. I'm not trying to "cover" for any shenanigans that went on in our group. No crazy all night gambling or strip clubs. Not even a stealthy trip to see Celine Dion (Is she still even performing there?) or other big Vegas performer.

We went for Bobby Flay, among others.

I think my dad was a little disappointed in me. "You should go back and see a show," he says, and recounts his story of going to see Don Rickles in the old strip days.

But we didn't see a show.

We fought AT&T's crappy service. We (okay, maybe just I) complained about the smokiness of the casinos. We beat the crowds to the pool bright and early only to be wedged like sardines in the rows of deck chairs. We wandered through malls full of stores we couldn't afford to shop at. And I even took the enjoyment up a notch and had an allergic reaction to a horse and came down with an eye infection worthy of antibiotics.

Good times.

It was a sociologist's fantasy land, that's for certain. A study on the demographics of consumption. Whether it was spoiled rich, laden-with-'tude twenty-somethings wearing "shiney shirts" and lots of hair product(the boys) or wearing almost nothing (the girls) going out for a night of hard partying and hooking up, to the older folks clearly from a different socio-economic bracket (though still with lots of hair product, often) looking dazed sitting at the penny slots for hours slowly putting a small dent into a pension, maybe? Vegas truly is an alternate universe from the one I know.

I think I was prepared for it and not prepared for it at the same time. I mean, you can't not know what it's going to be like, but I think I under-estimated how annoyed I would get by it.

Having said that, we had some excellent meals. My favorite food experiences included another trip to In-n-Out Burger (of course), Border Grill (in the Mandalay Bay complex), and Bobby Flay's fabulous Mesa Grill. And I also was pleasantly surprised to learn about Sake at Shibuya.

I think I would consider going back. Actually - I kind of have to since Dave and his friends go every few years and I'm not going to be the wet blanket on that tradition. Next time, I'll just have to budget a little more discretionary spending for a more secluded and maybe relaxing spot at the pool, a spa treatment or two, and maybe a trip to see the Hoover Dam. And I'll take my dad's advice and go to a show.