Post 300.

6 1/2 years of this self-serving bullshit.

Does anyone read it? Stats say yes. Over 3000 total views, supposedly. That's a hilariously small number in the age of social media, but I make no attempt to promote or publicize this thing. I wouldn't want to. This is for all intents and purposes a personal travel diary, for my own amusement and shame. I'm sure most of the "readers" showed up due to a key word search, saw what this was and immediately left. Which is fine. 

I make no bones about what it is: a personal blog of my own ramblings and obsessions concerning Vegas. It's not a news site, it's not a commentary or opinion site, it's mostly just me either planning or recapping my own, personal Vegas visits. I've often wondered if I should even be publishing it to the web, but I figure if some other solo traveler gets some useful ideas from the blog, then so be it. I don't seek out such readers but if they're out there and they get some value from this, great.

It's been a crazy run since this blog started. 30 out of 36 of my trips are chronicled here. Vegas has changed so much, as have I. Looking back at old posts it always impressed me how I was able to overcome my own penchant for spending every dollar I have right after getting them so I could save for Vegas trips. So many years of living paycheck to paycheck and hand to mouth started to change when I grew my Vegas obsession. I started to learn, for the first time in my life, how to save and budget. How to have some fucking will power. How to think strategically about money.

It wasn't easy. I was horrid with my money for my first few decades as an adult. My life (and my credit score) suffered for it. Not everything on the turnaround from that can be traced back to saving for Vegas, I certainly just grew up a lot. Got tired of living that life. Got better paying jobs. But Vegas helped. It gave me the first financial goal in my life that took long-ish term discipline and sacrifice (even if that saving of funds just ended up splashed all over the bars and casinos of Vegas). I wasn't so big on discipline and sacrifice most of my life. I'm still not, really, but at least now I've gotten to a place of stability. I'm not a complete idiot with money, anymore. Hell, by this time next year I'll be debt free.

And Vegas, Vegas has changed too. I missed most of the radical change of the 90's and 00's. I never got to see the old Sahara, or the Sands, or the Stardust, etc. It's been pretty steady state in terms of the buildings. A few have changed names or rebranded or switched ownership. Cromwell, Waldorf Astoria, Park MGM, Nobu and others have popped up in place of older concepts. Drew and Resorts World have either sat empty or being built the whole time I've been going. Harmon Tower went, quietly.

But through it all the strip has kept me coming. Some deep pocket of my brain glommed on to that 4-mile stretch of road in the desert and has never let go. I've had other transitory obsessions in my life, but none has been as intense or long lasting as Vegas. This blog will continue to catalog that obsession, for better or for worse, good times and bad. 

I have fuck else in my life to do.