Vacation Ideas

I can't remember the name of any diners. I just asked the hotel staff for local recommendations.
On the road, I stopped at whatever non-franchise place looked interesting.

And I'm sure I gave that rental car's suspension more wear and tear than the miles would suggest going down all those dirt roads.

How about a place not to go. On a trip to the west coast my now X and I spent some time in LA. I saw a # of interesting spots and places I had often heard about. One spot I was intersted in seeing was the La Brea tar pits. I was expecting to see a large area with palentologists digging for animals trapped and preserved thousands of years ago. What a disappointment. The "pits" weren't much bigger than the average back yard and no one was digging for new specimens of past life. It was totally not worth the time it took to go there.

I found direct flights to Vegas. Direct flights end the hassle of the layover which means I don't burn a day going each direction, and they were cheap on a budget airlines.

Nothing in Las Vegas is cheap anymore. I am not a gambler, but the shows are plentiful and much of the food is exquisite.

It's exceptionally rare to have a death on the Indian side of the Grand Canyon, where the glass floored overlook is, but the other side has around three deaths a year from falling. The Indian side has zero protection as far as rails, but also zero alcohol and zero overnight stays. The typical death on the other side is a male in his early 20's whose last words are something like, "hold my beer."

I had great fun on the Indian side, but not everyone has my sense of humor. The overlook lets you look straight down past your feet thousands of feet down. I scared the shit out of a number of Chinese tourists when I bunny hopped across the glass floor.

We heard the best buffet was at Ceasars Palace, but we didn't have time for the wait, so we picked Brassiere 8, a French restaurant run by a celebrity chef. The other night we had dinner in our room from a fancy restaurant at the Luxor. Both expensive, all dishes completely on point. Each meal was about $150 per person. There are cheaper options, but fine dining was an expected highlight.

The first year Blue Man Group was there, I saw them. They've been at the Luxor for over twenty years, now, and I wanted to see them again. Highly recommended. Much has changed in their show, and I missed many of the old parts but embraced what it's become.

I think you will find a number of shows that have been playing over a decade, and, it's hard to go wrong with something in business for so long. It's also hard to go wrong with a new show. But, see at least one while you are there.

While I was married, my inlaws retired to Vegas, and we would visit regularly. I was never a gambler, but Vegas is a good place for people-watching. I struck up a number of conversations primarily with locals, and found that almost everyone had a story about a gambler they had known that ended with, "...and he died broke." Such was the fate of my inlaws also, although I prefer to say, they lost their retirement savings through a series of bad investments.

I agree, cruises are horrible and everything I do not want in a holiday. Squashed with loads of other people… urgh. Not to mention trips to “visit” places for a few hours at a time which is superficial and sanitised. I agree the food is great though.

I don't know where you live but unless you are really in the boonies there are likely all sorts of free places you could try. Many states have both state and federal parks that are free or quite reasonably priced. Many have lodging (cabins, etc.) that are also reasonably priced. How about a trip to your state capital? Most capitals have some sort of tour for the state house and often there is something historical to be found there or nearby. Does your state have a zoo?  Good place to spend a day, especially if you have children. How about checking out some water falls? You don't have to have mountains to find a water fall. Have a sports team or a major industry? Many offer tours and a small souvineer for the kids or you if you want. Google free things to do in your state. Get out there and have some fun.