An Escape From Life As You Know It

Vegas.

In a word: Craziness!

Extended backyard visit #2 (I am really working on this backyard adventure thing)...road trip to Las Vegas!

Aah, Vegas. One of those places that fills the heart with excitement at the sound of the name. Well, either excitement, or worry...depending on what kind of mischief your personal Vegas excursions might entail, but for me, excitement.

A brief glimpse into the life of a Vegas adventure: Decide to go on Thursday. Go to work (or don't...if you're me) Friday–leave work early (or take your time, paint your nails, take a nap, watch a movie) pack, and hit the road. Arrive late. Eat. Change, go out to party. Fun, fun, fun. Eat. Crawl into bed between 5 and 6 am. Saturday–Wake up groggy somewhere around midday. Eat. Gamble/Shop/Pool/Drink, whatever most strikes your fancy. Chill. Eat. Get ready for partying Round Two. Cutest outfit, hit the club. Wait to get in, or if you're fancy...skip the line entirely. Fun, fun, fun. Eat. Crash. Sunday–Wake up extra groggy this time now that two rounds is starting to catch you. Eat. Make the slow and traffic ridden trek home, all the while discussing all the bits and pieces of crazy that took place over the course of the trip, looking at the pictures you probably forgot were taken, and cracking up at the hilarity of it all. And then eat again.

Las Vegas, Nevada may not be one of those typical travel destinations. Not one where you stop to see sights, wear a fanny pack and sneakers (although NO destination could ever find me caught dead dressed like that!) and take pictures of endless structures you will never remember the names of. But it is a vacation for your soul. A place where you can forget that you are unemployed/broke/unhappy/bored/single/married (sad, I know) and everything else that is real, get lost in a jungle of fantasy and lies and enjoy yourself completely for just a few days.

It is a temporary escape from life as you know it.

On the Beaten Path

I said I was setting out to explore my backyard, and I did. I finally went somewhere! Well I guess 385 miles to San Francisco is more like my very extended backyard, but it's still in my state! Half shrouded in fog and almost disappearing completely in parts, the Golden Gate Bridge really is incredible (and not in the opening scene of Full House kind of incredible...the real kind). It. Is. Cold. Even though it's just 52 degrees this marine air makes it feel much chillier as the damp breeze pinches your cheeks and frizzes your hair. Somehow, it's still so romantical up here that couples can't seem to maintain a decent space between themselves. Maybe they are just trying to keep warm. Some exotic Brazilian tourists pose for crazy pictures to take back to friends and family that are missing out on this. A French family stops for photos. The wide-eyed, young daughter is eager to take as many photos as humanly possible..."Maintenant, avec Papa!" One with Daddy now. The whole world passes through here, even if for some it is just on the daily commute home from the grind. Vista Point is cloudy, cold, littered with tourists and we are only here because our exit to the Presidio jumped out of nowhere, and we missed it. Clearly, this is on every tourist's map of things to see in San Francisco, and I sincerely doubt locals ever stop off here on their way to or from anywhere. But it turned out to be a beautiful mistake. This bridge is a truly magnificent structure. And although it always seems more enticing to get 'off the beaten path' and discover something untried, sometimes you need to take a glimpse through the eyes of a visitor in order to experience your own environs. On the beaten path isn't so bad sometimes.