The Nevada Mountains abruptly gave way to America’s city of lights and, although I’ve never been big on gambling, descending on the brightest city in the world made it impossible not to be excited about our four day excursion to electrified Las Vegas. I didn’t have any Frank Sinatra on my iPhone, but did manage to play a little Elvis and Bobby Darin as we rolled down Las Vegas Freeway toward the Stratosphere. We could see the tower from high in the Nevada Mountains since it stands 1,149 feet in the air, larger than the Seattle Space Needle, and could’ve probably found the next-door hotel we were staying in from sight if we didn’t have the reliable GPS.

As soon as we pulled up to the Stratosphere hotel, we anxiously hopped out of the car and sorted through the many bags in the back seat. We figured that the valet and bellhop would be shocked at all of our luggage from the roadtrip, but they were very patient and told us we could take our time despite the busy hotel entrance. Two suitcases, three garment bags, one laptop bag, one camera bag, and sneakers, dress shoes and sandals were among the items that made it onto the luggage cart.

Checking into the Stratosphere’s top floor, we were immediately impressed with the room even though we got it for the rock-bottom price of $33 per weeknight. We also took advantage of the Stratosphere’s dinner buffet, which was open until 10 PM, and made note of the convenient $20 all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner deal. We unpacked the remaining suitcases following dinner and showered in order to walk the Las Vegas strip.

Having arrived on a Tuesday and set out on the strip after midnight, there wasn’t much going on. I had been to the Four Seasons for a two-day business event in March and really enjoyed the small dance club-bar inside the Mandalay Bay casino. But, after we took a cross-town cab to get there, we found even that was closed. As we strolled down Las Vegas Boulevard and back to the Stratosphere, we were approach by two self-described “normal” girls looking to have fun. We passed. I’d like to keep my money / kidney.

Wednesday was more of a success from the beginning. We lunched at the hotel’s indoor McDonalds and lounged by the outdoor pool for more than two hours. Then, we went back to the room to get ready for Coyote Ugly and Studio 54. George read positive yelp! reviews about these clubs and they were located in New York-New York Hotel & Casino and the MGM Grand, which are right across the street from each other. But, while the reviews were positive, I wasn’t thrilled with either. Coyote Ugly features a bunch of random girls bartop dancing and guys being kowtowed into cheering them on, but doing nothing more than that. We stayed for about an hour. MGM Grand was $20 and felt very clickish and full of “VIPs.” We stayed here even less time, 45 minutes.

Sometimes, it’s the free clubs inside a casino that are the most fun. That was the case with EyeCandy Sound Lounge at Mandalay Bay. Not only was there no cover, but the ever-changing, multi-colored dance floor (think: Saturday Night Fever) was open to anyone. I met a couple of break-dancers and had a blast competing with them for the crowd’s attention and showing off the most interesting dance move combinations. Having worn a suit, this turned into a tiring, but exhilarating four-hour marathon.

We pretty much repeated the best parts on Thursday. Only, when we went poolside, Alexandra and Roland, the German couple we met at Zion National Park, joined us. They were in the same hotel and texted us about meeting up. We also met a brother and sister at the pool and teamed up for a game of water volleyball before heading to the buffet and back to the EyeCandy Sound Lounge.

Friday was our fourth and final night in Las Vegas, so we made sure that we checked off everything on our to-do list. First, we ate at Roxy’s Diner, a 50-style restaurant in the Stratosphere casino that offered tall tower-shaped plastic cups. We proceeded to buy passes to all three of rides at the top of the Stratosphere tower. Finally, we got tickets to one of the shows.

The observation deck, which sits 866 feet above the strip, is home to the three rides. The first is called Insanity, which extends riders 64 feet over the edge of the tower and spins from around with sickening 3 Gs of velocity. The second also sends riders over the tower’s edge. It’s X-Scream and looks like a rollercoaster, but travels straight down the side of the tower for 27 feet.

Finally, we went on Big Shot, the signature ride of the Stratosphere, the world’s highest amusement ride and, it shouldn’t surprise you, our favorite. It shot us 160 feet up the spire at 45 mph, reaching 4 Gs. At the ride’s highest point, we were 1,081 feet above the strip, but we quickly dropped back down at negative 1 G.

The night ended at Mandalay Bay’s EyeCandy Sound Lounge again. We tried to go to any of the three clubs at the Palms, but the line didn’t move and I personally enjoy the non-VIP, far-from-exclusive crowds at the cover-free bars. If there’s no rope-line, then count me in. We went back to Mandalay Bay and tried Rum Jungle for a change. We stayed there longer than any of the other bars that weren’t EyeCandy, but we shrugged our shoulders and settled for a third night alongside the break-dancers. At the end of having danced nearly four hours a night over the course of three nights, the rubber of my dress shoes was separating from the shoes itself. It was a testament to the good time we had at the EyeCandy Sound Lounge with its all-inclusive crowd.

We woke up, packed up and took photos in front of the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign on our way out of the city. We also took photos in front of the state signs of Nevada and California when we stopped at a Carl’s Jr. on the border. Surprisingly, there wasn’t a Nevada state sign from Zion to Las Vegas, so we made up for it here. In three hours, we’ll arrive in Los Angeles, my new hometown and we will have completed the driving portion of this epic two-week roadtrip.