Crowded House - How I Survived a Jam-Packed Weekend in Vegas

My recent trip to Vegas was kind of a last minute idea. My buddy Steve usually visits me in Charleston, SC during President's Day weekend because he's a government employee and like a lot of fortunate bums does not have to work that Monday. However, this year he came up with a better idea - why not go to Vegas?

Little did we know at the time that it was also NBA All-Star weekend at the Thomas & Mack Center and Chinese New Year. Steve booked the room before knowing all of this in mid-January, but we still got a decent deal at the Riviera. I then decided to get a rental car because we like the freedom to go when/where we please when in Vegas, and I was surprised to get a great deal on vegas.com's website with Budget ($60 for 3 days, on a weekend/holiday no less).
We had heard horror stories about how crowded and overpriced Vegas would be that weekend, so flying into the city, we held our breath and hoped for the best. All things considered, we got the best!

Our flight landed in Vegas about 6:00pm, and we scurried to hop on the shuttle bus to Budget (no wait!). I expected long lines at Budget, but there were only about 3 people ahead of me, and it only took about 20 minutes to get my car. They were out of compact cars, so I got a free upgrade for one of the last cars they had available, a Dodge Caravan.

Next, I expected Paradise Road to be packed with people trying to avoid the Strip on a Friday night. Nope. We had smooth sailing to the Riv, and even the registration line was not too long.
After scarfing down some dinner, we were ready to gamble by about 8:30 or 9:00pm. We wanted either $5 or $10 blackjack tables, and the Riv had plenty of $10 BJ open, so we settled in.
I could hardly believe it - with all of the stories of crowds and lines for an extremely busy weekend, we had no problems at all. So, was my experience unique? Maybe, but here's what I learned.
If we had made different choices before going to Vegas, we might have had a more frustrating weekend. Here's why:

I have booked rental cars from Alamo on Sunday afternoons, which is one of the busiest times at that location. Had I booked with Alamo this time, I'm sure it would have been packed on the Friday night we arrived (there was a line waiting for their shuttle bus at McCarran, so I can only imagine how long the wait was for a car!)

If we had stayed at the NY NY or Harrah's or Caesars, we would have paid a lot more money and would have been in a more popular area of the Strip. Getting around would have been more difficult.

If we had decided to gamble at any of the above places or Wynn, Bellagio, or the Venetian, we might have encountered higher limits and more crowded tables (we avoided these places so I cannot say that with certainty, it's just a hunch).

So sure, we avoided Mandalay Bay with all of the NBA activities going on there. And yes, we stayed away from the Venetian, the Palms, the Hard Rock, and Bellagio. But we didn't see any celebrities, either, and we didn't attend any super cool parties.

So, as is my usual sermon about Vegas, it's all about preparation, knowing what you want before you go, and balance. Steve and I wanted to gamble, get free drinks at the tables, eat at relatively inexpensive places, stay in a room that didn't have rats in it, and have the flexibility to drive where we wanted (when we weren't enjoying free drinks, of course). So it worked out well for us. You may have had a different experience. If so, please join in and let me know!

Coming soon - true tales of the 3 days I spent in Vegas. Well, I may make some stuff up.