My Las Vegas

Every time you see anything associated with Las Vegas on TV, the picture given is seen with narrow vision. The focus becomes the Las Vegas Strip. I don't know how many of you have been to Las Vegas, but the Las Vegas Strip is only a fraction of the metropolitan area. Casinos are abundant in many different neighborhoods, and more importantly, you get more bang for the buck at those.

Yeah, most people who come to Vegas book a room with one of the major hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strips such as the Bellagio or Caesar's Palace. I admit, the Las Vegas Strip can be fun, but it has really become an extension of corporate America. I miss the wise guy run nightclub-like casinos of old. That is probably why I tend to lean toward the locals casinos.

Places like the Cannery and the Stations Casinos off the same gambling options without the glitter and glam of the Las Vegas Strips. I tend to associate the Las Vegas Strip with the plastic surgery Barbie doll women that cruise through the casino floors and lounges. Both look like they were put together for looks, but they lack meaningful experiences.

If you really want to slum it for a good time, check out the casinos on the Boulder Strip (Boulder Highway in Henderson like Klondike Sunset and Jokers Wild). These casinos will often have 10 cent roulette or 25 cent craps. They're not for the weekend warrior of the Las Vegas Strip who will drop ten grand without blinking, but in this economy, the gambling experience doesn't have to be expensive.

If you really have to have the lights and the flash, check out downtown. The lights of the Freemont St. Experience will dazzle you far beyond the glitter of the Las Vegas Strip, and multiple casinos are within walking distance of each other.

My Vegas is not the flash and high rolling of TV. I live in the real world, not the world of the Las Vegas Strip.