Exactly nine years ago, my brother went to Las Vegas for his 21st birthday with his friends and my dad tagged along. Nine years ago, he experienced Sin City and what it has to offer. And not only that — he had the opportunity to see Penn and Teller Live at the Rio.
Here we are. Nine years later and I finally was able to experience that same opportunity. Even though my 21st birthday was back in May, my dad and I decided to plan an end-of-summer trip before I head back to school. What better experience for myself than to travel to Las Vegas for the first time?
Since the drive was so far from Boise, we ended up staying at a hotel in Ely, Nevada, named “The Prospector.” It is a wild experience to sit in a casino and gamble your own money away while at the same time consuming alcohol. Weirdly enough, they didn’t even check my ID. Actually, during the whole trip, I was only carded once. Do I really look older then 21? It was a blast to sit and gamble next to my dad while he taught me the ropes.
Lindsay Trombly | Argonaut
I’m used to spending my dollars and dimes at the Midway in Reno, Nevada, on games where I could possibly win stuffed animals. Losing my money at the slot machines and gaining nothing in return wasn’t as fun to me — but the bright lights and that feeling of adulthood made it worthwhile.
When we reached Las Vegas, there was one thing I requested we do — make a trip to Zack Bagan’s Haunted Museum. As you have seen by all my film reviews, I am a horror fanatic and seeing paranormal objects fuels my fandom. But it also scared it. I didn’t expect to be so jumpy and shaky throughout the whole tour.
I was finally calming down when about halfway in the house we reached a staircase leading to a clown lair. This skinny little dark hallway contained clown costumes and life figures, but not all of them were statues. People in clown costumes jumped out right behind me as I walked by, and I never realized how much of a scaredy-cat I really am until that moment.
At one point, I ran and accidentally scratched my dad on the arm grabbing him for dear life. Before we entered the building, we had to sign a form saying the museum wasn’t responsible for any heart attacks occurring, and no wonder they made us do that — it was jump scare central in one section of the tour.
I’ve never experienced something so creepy that got my heart beat racing. It was a glorious experience and definitely a highlight of the trip.
But the food, oh the food, is always one of the best parts of vacation. In-N-Out. There is nothing quite like the taste of a double-double, fries and a chocolate milkshake. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Then there was Penn and Teller. Wow. It was an exceptional performance and exceeded my expectations. I’ve never seen a magic show in person, but I recommend everyone to go and watch one at some point in their lives. They made coins turn into goldfish and even an elephant disappears (well actually a cow), and my mind was blown. How can someone be that talented and make something so large disappear? I was lucky enough at the end of the show to meet the two magicians with my dad. I still can’t believe my brother got to do the same thing. Now it’s my turn to keep the tradition going.
The lights, the alcohol, the people and the gambling make Las Vegas surely a Sin City. But it is a Sin City trip I will remember for the rest of my life and there is no one else I would have rather gone with than my dad.
Lindsay Trombly can be reached at [email protected]