Las Vegas convention 2009!

[Elessar]

William Shatner has been booked for 2009 at the Los Vegas convention. Since the next ST movie is out in May 2009, this should be an interesting con, since Shatner is not in the movie.

Oh yeah, he'll keep goin till he dies. In fact, they should do an episode of Futurama where his head is in a glass jar at a Star Trek convention

[Linda]

Maybe Shatner's head will come on the market...glass jar and all. He sold his kidney stone didn't he? Somebody actually bought it. After all 'fan' is short for 'fanatic'. Sometimes I wonder about ST fans. Reminds me of that DS9 episode where you could buy parts of Quark.

[Bookworm]

I wish I could go. I have to start saving money.

Although Las Vegas sounds a scary place for someone who has never been outside Europe and lives in a country with 5 milloin people.

[Asso]

To Go Boldly!

[Bookworm]

I have to keep that in mind.

[Linda]

Bookworm, maybe it would be less scary if the people from Triaxian Silk who are going to the convention all hung out together. We could exchange photos ahead of time so we can find each other more easily.

[Alelou]

I would just say that if you come all the way here, please don't spend all your time in Las Vegas and leave thinking that's what the rest of the US is like. Take some side trips to places that weren't originally created by mobsters to separate people from their moola.

[evcake]

Bookworm, maybe it would be less scary if the people from Triaxian Silk who are going to the convention all hung out together. We could exchange photos ahead of time so we can find each other more easily.

I'm kinda counting on that, actually. I've never been to Vegas either.

[Linda]

It would be my first trip to Vegas too. Vegas itself does not attract me, the fact that it is the largest Star Trek convention is what attracts me.

[Bookworm]

I'm sure it would help meeting people there that I know from here.
It's funny that I always wish I could see other places and that largest convention thing attracts me too, but for some reason there are some places in the world that for me seem really scary and Las Vegas is one of those. I guess I might be scared to visit some other huge American city too. It's probably because I don't really know what it's like there and then I've only heard some things I don't really know if those are true or not, but if those are it's a scary place.

[Linda]

Well, like any place with a reputation, the rumors are probably exagerated. Reputations tend to sensationalize, concentrate on the extreme. You have to be watchful anywhere these days for purse snatchers and con artists and the ilk. Vegas is a vacation spot - that is the local industry. I am sure that the people who live there want visitors to have a good time, so they probably mostly try to be helpful, especially people at the airport, hotel, attractions, and restaurants. It is probably helpful to have a traveling companion so you don't feel all alone. I have my husband so of course we feel safer together and share the delays, occasional misplaced luggage, asking for directions, and other frustrations of traveling.

[Alelou]

My only objection to Las Vegas is that it's all ticky tacky gambling in the middle of a desert (I like deserts as much as Trip does) so it's ugly as sin, and also so dry you pretty much need to suck down water constantly to avoid getting the infamous Las Vegas headache. I'm sure it's about as safe as any other tourist spot in the US if you use common sense. I know people who love it for the food and hotels and entertainment and 'glamour'. It's just not my idea of a good time.

[Linda]

You have to suck down water to avoid a headache? Thanks for the warning, Alelou. I suppose the water table under Las Vegas is just about gone. I am not fond of gambling or deserts either, but will tolerate them for the convention.

[CX]

I'm a country boy from North Dakota and I got along fine out on the strip for a couple nights anyway. I only made it as far as The Excalibur on one end and Treasure Island on the other, though, because we had limited time and we were dropped off at Caesar's Palace. I wasn't that bad. The only bad thing was the people who could try to push pamphlets in your face or into your hands as you walked by to try to sell you things, but they usually grouped together and if you saw them soon enough you could take another way around where they were. I'd actually like to go back so I can explore more, though I'm kinda bummed that I never got a chance to see The Experience.

[Bookworm]

Thanks this has helped a lot. Maybe I could get my huddy to come with me. I wont get him to come to the convention, but maybe he could go to gamble or something.
There are so many things I've never seen and don't have any experience about so I don't know what to expect. I know we have a casino somewhere in Helsinki, but I've never been there and I can't even imagine what a place with multiple casinos is like.