BEA Vegas Day 1

We arrived in the city of Vegas at approx. 10:40pm EST. As soon as we stepped off the plane we were blasted with a swell of warm air. The airport was dimly lit and neon lights accented every sign at every corner. But I didn't waste much time looking around because I'd spent the past four hours wedged against the window seat of an aircraft hoping my bladder wouldn't explode.

After hiking across the labyrinth that was the airport, we made our way outside and flagged down a cab. Our driver was from Russia. Nice guy. Expensive ride, but still a nice guy.

Nonetheless, we finally made it to 3500 Paradise Road, home of the Best Western Mardi Gras, which will be our home for the next four days. We then proceeded to check in and crammed into a dingy elevator that made Petrik's elevator look like a something out of a fairy tale.

The weight of our bags made the walk seem more daunting than it really was, but we eventually made it to our suite. However, we were unable to stay for very long because we were all had a dire need to feed.

And so, we flipped through the local directory only to find nothing of importance and hit the streets in search of somewhere to nom. After passing by six scantly built newsstands filled with "pleasure" magazines and following the monorail for a good 15 minutes we decided to stop. I don't even remeber the name of the hotel we went into, but we followed the pretty sign to nowhere and went inside. It was here that we settled on an Italian restraunt.

After a good meal and a good talk we hoofed our way back to Paradise Road following the spectacle of sad side walks. It was almost like we were walking through an abandoned theme park filled with strippers, minus the strippers.

Anyhow; we made it back to our cove safe and sound and here I am writing to you...slipping in an out of what may turn into a comma while I watch the world throw their money away and I prep for an early wake up call.

Check back soon. I'll keep you posted on all of tomorrow's events here at the BEA in Las Vegas. Until next time, this is Nick signing off.

-Nick Mattingly