The Travelated Team Reunites in Las Vegas

In case you didn’t already know this, there are 3 people on the Travelated team. It seems some people think that I am Travelated, others think it is only Emily and others are aware of both of us, but almost no one seems to be aware of Alex. Alex does not write for Travelated often, but I assure you he is a very important part of our team. He is also (almost) as funny as Emily and me. His knowledge of 1990s trivia, however, surpasses ours by far. I digress.

Emily and Alex live together in Las Vegas, Nevada. I live in Buenos Aires. We all met during our time in St. Louis, Missouri. We really are all over the place. The point is, we reunited during my 6 week trip back to the US and it was totally awesome.

Mixing business with pleasure

Long before Travelated was born, Emily, Alex and I were friends. Travelated only allows us to talk even more than we already did. Someday, I will have to compile highlights from all of Emily and I’s gchat and email conversations. It gets pretty ridiculous. Also, Alex and Emily and all in love and cute. See?

I had never been to Las Vegas and since I don’t really care about gambling, I had never considered going. However, when Southwest Airlines had a sale that made it possible to visit my friends and have some important business time while also being in Las Vegas, I didn’t hesitate in buying my flight. It turned out to be an incredibly fun 4 days, full of adventure and yes, even some business. Granted, our business meetings were conducted in a swimming pool and then over some greasy new york style pizza but hey, that counts!

We’re all going to die in a car crash

Luckily I had been back in the states for a bit before this trip so I was a little more accustomed to being in a car than I was when I first got back. Honestly though, nothing could prepare me for Vegas traffic. The whole way back from the airport, Alex kept his eyed glued to the road, ready to swerve and avoid a sudden death. I saw more car accidents in that short ride than I had in weeks.

Alex and Emily have certain strategies to avoid the worst of the traffic near The Strip, but even their secret back way can get clogged with

people. They explained to me that parking at the right time is crucial, for if you miss your chance you will end up on The Strip and, well, may you rest in peace, or at least have packed snacks since you will be there for all of eternity. Alex was kind enough to drive Emily and I around several times so that I could take in the sights. My favorite sight was Alex’s frustrated face as he lamented that any other cars were on the road at all. Alex hates everything and we love him for it. . My favorite quote from Alex that weekend was “Lots of things suck. I have to say stuff about it!”.

Road drinks

The second night, Emily and I got smart and packed road drinks. We mixed vodka cranberries in coffee mugs and placed them in a cooler with an ice pack so that we were able to enjoy a delightfully chilled beverage between dinner and arriving on The Strip. This was all from the safety of the back seat of Alex’s car, of course.

Alice in Wonderland and I are BFFs

I know I said I am not a gambler, but there was no way I was going to Las Vegas without trying my luck. We went to Caesar’s Palace first and Emily pointed out a slot machine that was $3 a spin. She explained that you could win an absurd amount of money in 1 spin so she always played once per visit. She put in her $3 and lost. I put in mine and had no idea what was going on until Alex and Emily informed me I had just won $30. Awesome! I love Vegas!

I took my winnings over to an Alice in Wonderland machine that I chose mostly due to the bright colors and moving figurines. I kept pushing my 50 cent bet button and lights kept flashing. Multiple times there were teapots on a touch screen and high-stress noises and spinning things. I won’t pretend like I had a strategy, but I ended up winning $72 and I felt like a champion.

Experiencing The Strip

For some reason I expected The Strip to be dirty. I was expecting garbage and shady characters to be all over the place. Maybe I have lived in Buenos Aires too long. The Strip was beautiful. The lights were even better than I had imagined they would be and the people watching was the best I have ever experienced. Some of my favorite sights include:

Frolicking through the mountains

Las Vegas is more than The Strip. While rain (and some laziness) prevented us from doing any serious nature stuff while I was in town, we did check out some pretty sweet mountains near Emily and Alex’s house. It was beautiful, even if the road next seems to be a choice meeting location for drug deals. We witnessed a pretty shady looking car parked on the side of the road, approached by another shady car that then tried to 4-wheel it off into the distance with a vehicle that should never really leave gravel. Pretty entertaining. We also took tons of team photos, since we previously did not have any at all. It was a great weekend

Rease is a US citizen who fled the Midwest in favor of ex-pat life in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is bilingual and is very capable of cussing you out in Spanish. She loves gaining and sharing knowledge of local cultures, customs and adventure, and she especially loves getting sassy with anyone who gets in her way. Her favorite place in the world is any artisan ice cream shop in Argentina.