1 night layover in Vegas

[chrisl84pia]

1 night is definitely way too short for vegas, but it still saved my sanity.

Last October I attended a cousin's wedding in Seattle and was due to fly back home to Chicago for a 12:30am redeye flight. The wedding afterparty at the hotel bar went a little overboard, so I was drunk, and running a little late for my flight. I told the cab to hit the gas and was dozing off drunken style in the backseat when I heard a loud BOOM. There was a semi-truck in front of us, and I guess one of the tires blew out. The rims were hitting the freeway asphalt and sparks were flying everywhere... and the truck was starting to fishtail I was freaking out, but the cabbie just went around and continued on like it was nothing... good man.
Fast forward to the airport, and I'm too late to check in for the flight. FML
The lady tells me that I'll have to be on standby for the next available flight which is at 5:30am... 5 more hours, fine. I just sit by a corner of the airport, plug in my cellphone charger and start sobering up. After about 40 min I say f*** it and take a cab to the nearest bar which is at some business hotel bar by the airport, not bad though I don't mind dive bars with pool tables and darts.
After a several double crown royals with beer chasers, the bar is closing so I take a cab back to airport.
Come 5:30am. I'm tired of lugging around my carry-on bag everywhere I go (especially hard when you're hung over), so I check my luggage and send it on its way to Chicago. I get to my gate and wait for everyone else to board. I'm on standby so my hope is someone to not check in or miss their flight. No such luck... FML everyone checks in and boards... They tell me try the next flight at 6:30am. Fine.
Come 6:30am no luck. Why is everyone prompt and on time?!?! They tell me try the next flight at 7am.
Fast forward 5 more attempts with no luck. It's about 10am. I'm getting really frustrated and impratient. Next flight I'll try to get on is at 12:00noon. Meanwhile I'm disheveled, smell of alcohol, and hung over... like a homeless person stuck in an airport. I figure let's freshen up at least... WAIT my carry-on! I had forgotten that I had checked my bag due to laziness... It's already on its way to Chicago without me. FML.
So now I really am an airport bum with no material possession 'cept for the clothes on my back. So I try the best I can and take a hobo shower at the bathroom sink.
The next 2 attempts to board fails. I realize I'm not the ONLY person on standby... there are 4 more people and they are AHEAD of me on the list. FML.
It's 3pm. I had a crappy lunch at some crappy airport cafeteria, and had an uncomfortable nap on the airport bench. I'm feeling very irritable. I'm still a little hung over, tired, and need a shower. I've been in the airport for about 12 hours now. I'm literally crawling out of my skin. I'm thinking WOW this is how people must feel right before they go insane...

[chrisl84pia]

...continued

I realize I'm never getting on a freakin' standby seat.
FINE I'll just count my losses and purchase a flight out of this hellhole. I call my girlfriend in Chicago to ask her to look for any flights for me. From my end, I go from airline counter to counter but they're pretty much all sold out of tickets. Getting closer and closer to going crazy.
After calling around all the airlines phone numbers and also looking at all the sites. I don't find anything. So I start thinking I just need to GTFO of here. So I look for the first available flight out of Seattle. Doesn't have to go to Chicago. I really don't care at all at this point. Price doesn't matter, destination doesn't matter. Just GET ME THE HELL OUT.
Alaskan airlines 5:30pm flight to Las Vegas. 1 seat left. I check my watch, it's 5o'clock. I tell the person over the phone that I want to buy. TOO LATE they can't sell it to me anymore. I run to the airline counter at the airport as fast as I could...
If I was even 1 minute later, then they wouldn't have been able to sell it to me. But thank goodness I finally have a ticket out of Seatac. I breeze past security, albeit they are eyeing me suspiciously because I pretty much look like a crazy hobo at this point. I finally get on a plane sit down, and pass out due to exhaustion. I never realized stress, anxiety, and madness drains that much energy. After about 15 hours spent at Seatac airport, I finally leave.
I keep waking up on the plane because the passenger next to me was a dad and he had his baby with him. The baby kept crying and kicking. Regardless, couple hours later I arrive at mccarran las vegas airport. VEGAS... I feel better already.
As soon as I get off the plane, I call around again trying to find a flight to Chicago. I talk to an operator from Delta who tells me there's a 12:00am flight tomorrow. Great, it's 8pm now so only about 4 hours away. I purchase it over the phone and head over to the counter to check-in.
The lady at the counter tells me that the 12:00am flight is actually for the day after. The idiot on the phone confused the time and date because of the midnight. FML

...

[chrisl84pia]

...continued

My sense of relief collapses and I'm freaking out again. By nature I'm a very relaxed and chill person, but the events of the last 18 hours have taken their toll as my mind and sanity start declining rapidly.
Luckily thank God, the lady at the counter mentions that they do have a flight available in the morning at 6am to ATL, then a layover for 2 hours then to Chicago. This is as good as it will get for me. I thank her for the information and purchase that flight instead. They were very nice about the mistake over the phone and refunded me the ticket.
So now it's about 8pm and I have until 6am. I'll kill myself before spending another second in the airport.
I get in a taxi and decide Caesars just for the hell of it. I specifically ask the cabbie not to take the freeway/tunnel. What does he do? He attempts to chat me up and distract me while he takes the freeway and tunnel. Whatever, I tell him that I told him not to take it but I pay him. I leave him with about 30cents tip.
I check into Caesars and pay a premium for a room for 1 night. Oh well, I really don't care about money at that point, I just need a room to shower, shave, and relax. They were nice about it and even without a sandwich upgraded me to the slightly bigger Augustus Tower Room.
Finally, a comfort of a bed and shower! Wait.... but I have nothing since my luggage was checked and is probably waiting for me at Chicago. FML. I don't want to take a shower and go back into the filthy clothes that reeks of alcohol and anxiety. So I head on over to the Forum Shops and just buy everything I need: shaving kit, underwear, socks, shirt, dress shirt(buying clothes; might as well buy something nice). I come back to my room, and take nice hot shower to wash away my near-insanity experience. I shave and freshen up and lie down on my bed. I can't go to sleep. It is vegas, and I don't want to waste a night just sleeping, no matter how devastating my previous 20 hours were...

[chrisl84pia]

...continued

So I have 1 night to spend in vegas. I figure I deserve a good time after the ordeal I've been through. I dress in my new clothes, and head on down. I grab a quick bite and couple beers. Trying to decide what to do with my night in Vegas, I park myself at the sports book seats and have a long deserved cigarette. After a little bit, a group of guys come out from the bathroom and sit down in the seats by me. We get to talking. They're from Ireland and it's their first time in Vegas; they seem to be having the time of their life. I tell them my story of how I ended up in Vegas, and they go crazy. I guess they already had a couple drinks in them, but they really got a kick out of my story. One thing leads to another and they tell me they got bottle service at Pure and invite me to come with them. I'm all for partying up with different people and keeping an open mind, but I just wasn't in the clubbing mood. I guess I was more tired that I thought, so I declined. After splitting up, I decide to hit up the tables just for a little bit. I go to the craps table and decide just play for a little bit. I play with $200. I figure I'll probably part with it in about 45 min and head up and get some rest.
several hours and many beers later, I walk away with $1500 . I was very happy, but too tired to show it. It was fun because of the crowd I was shooting with. There was this old guy playing who resembled Donald Sutherland a little bit. He was drunk off his ass, which was even better. And his "wife" was with him just watching and occasionally flirting with every guy at the craps table, even me which was making me very uncomfortable because drunk Donald Sutherland could have kicked my ass easily.
anywho, i turn in about 4am, head to the airport and finally make it home sweet home.

I'm glad all that horrible madness had a happy ending.


If you had a 1 night layover in vegas, what would YOU do???

[mrankimonki]

it's great to read this - very very refreshing to read a vegas TR with a backstory to it and great non-clubbing fun! amazing

[Cisco419]

Damn! Shitty beginning but great end! So all in all you ended up breaking even! lol But at least you had a "fun" night in Vegas!

[Matt]

That's such an awesome story! Great TR!

[joelDOWNUNDER]

Dude that was amazing! Well written with the perfect amount of info! Great TR!

[Charles~]

You're my hero. I would have slept all night like a lazy ass.

[chrisl84pia]

well, i figure you can always sleep on the plane

[VEGAS88]

Im surprised you didn't end up going crazy. Awesome report.

[IndyColtsGal]

Wow what a way to make the best of a bad situation. Great TR

[WarreN]

Nice work...but you KNOW you should have went to with the Irish to the bottle service my friend...

[chrisl84pia]

Nice work...but you KNOW you should have went to with the Irish to the bottle service my friend...

yeah, i'm left wondering how the night would have turned out... hmmm.