With the Winger and BP boys in Vegas, I decided to up my game and share one of my Vegas stories. It was my junior year in college and, like most college students I wanted to go to Vegas….but had no money. Paying for the flight, the hotel, the partying all of it was just a bit excessive. We needed to scale back, cut corners wherever we could.
After exhausting most of our options we realized the easiest thing to cut out of the trip was the hotel. Yes, I know that sounds like the necessity when traveling to a city where you don’t know anyone BUT therein lies the amazing time that is Vegas.
We arrive early Thursday morning, a total of 2 bags in hand and ready to sit by the pool of our non-existent hotel. A quick free shuttle ride to “our hotel” and a little smooth talking at the front desk: something along the lines of. “I called ahead and our room wasn’t quite ready, so I was hoping to just drop our bags and check back in a couple hours” and Bang! We are sitting by the pool in our bathing suits, shirtless enjoying the 96 degree weather.
Problem #2 arose when we realized poolside drinks required a couple things. Cash or a room key to charge the drinks on. Since our goal was to blow little money during the day and save it to gamble and party at night. We needed to find an alternate route. Sitting across the pool we notice several foreign looking guys, with drinks flowing like water. We quickly notice one of them wearing an AC Milan jersey and the other one with a soccer ball under his chair. We decide sitting next to them and striking up a conversation is our best bet as we all play soccer in school.
I am quite an outgoing man, and talking to random people is never a problem. Instantly we are fast friends and I am luring over other ladies from the pool who are intrigued at how much fun we are having with these dudes. I offer to buy them a drink, which they flatly refuse and reply with “This is our first time in Vegas, visiting from Italy please let us buy”. I feign resistance “Oh please I insist” Next thing I know I am sitting drink in hand in the pool and I saddle up to a chick from Michigan and as soon as I finish the drink another one magically appears in my hand. This routine continues for several hours until we fall asleep under a tiki hut and wake up around 7pm. Our bags still hopefully with the concierge we return to “grab a couple things from them”
We take the bags and hit the bathroom next to the pool, which is actually more like a locker room. A quick shower and we get dressed and are on our way. Total money spent thus far on Day 1 $0.
We drop off our bags again at the front desk, fortunately someone new is now working, who gladly will “hold them” until “our friend, who doesn’t land till late arrives” We hit the strip ready to have a little fun and gamble a bit. Hoping for the best I walk into the Bellagio with $150 in hand and optimism in my heart. The roulette table catches my eye and I am feeling lucky. So far this day has been utterly flawless. It’s worth a shot.
$10 on 8: Loss $10 on 12: Loss $10 on 4: Loss $10 on 10: Loss—Quickly I am down $40, but I have that feeling as they say in Vegas, typically that feeling in Vegas results in you waiting at the ATM at 11:59pm until it is officially the next day and you can withdraw more money but in this case I just felt lucky. My 2 boys standing by my side I throw $20 on 13……BOOOMM it hits— pays me $700. Vegas Baby!! The night continues with us gambling, bar crawling and spending our winnings, not frivolously but wisely. I first look at my watch at 2:13am. I realize we technically do not have a place to sleep. I look at my 2 friends and we know that it’s every man for himself for tonight. Find a lady, find a nice warm bed, find somewhere to sleep if necessary, you are on your own and we decide to meet back at the hotel our bags are at by 10am at the latest.
Let me tell you, you have NEVER felt pressure like when you look around in Vegas at 3am and both your friends have found someone/something to go home with and you are alone at the bar with no less than 15 drinks in you. My standards immediately plummet and the reality of the situation sets in. I hit the dance floor reeking of booze…and slight desperation. Needless to say I did find a nice warm bed to snuggle in, and when I woke up in the morning by her side I was not disappointed at all. You know they say sometimes you leave at 2 with a 10 and wake at 10 with a 2. Well I woke up at 8 with a 7, which considering the circumstances left me quite content.
This charade of hotel bouncing, bag leaving, gambling, partying, smooth talking and searching for a bed continued for 3 amazing days. I know some of you are thinking, well you could have used your credit card, or asked your parents for money, or put some money aside from your $700, or something. BUT if we had done that I would not be able to re-tell this story and would have missed out on one of the best vacations I have ever been on.
One more thing…..my parents still don’t know I went to Vegas, with no hotel.
Enjoy it boys!
Joe
