At the November meet in Vegas, Wendell mentioned about how there are many members registered - the opening page for the board lists 1053 members!

It may seem like a lot of the posts on this board are between a relatively small group of friends who are about to meet in Las Vegas, or who have just returned from meeting in Las Vegas.

And - I imagine some of those 1053 registered members out there have gone on to other pursuits, but there must still be quite a few of you"lurking" or checking in every once in a while.

I'd just like to request a quick hello from any of you out there, perhaps I'm in a holiday greeting mood.

It's up to you if you want to tell more - like, do you get to Vegas? Do you just like reading about Vegas? (that was me for a long time!) Where are you from?

The folks on this board that I have had the pleasure to meet are Very friendly and welcoming to all. So please - give us a shout out, as the CB using truckers used to say (maybe still do!)

I'll start.

Hi - I'm Kes, from Rochester NY. I've been reading this board for about 5 years, and fortunate to go to Las Vegas once a year for the past 3 years.

(that was easy!)

Hello everyone, Seasons Greetings!
I'm 'Tater, from Las Vegas. I've been cyber chatting with some of the folks on this board for about 15-16 years (wow, has it really been that long?), moved over from Prodigy and moved here from Idaho. Nice folks here and I enjoy seeing them now and then when they are in town.

Great idea Kes. I'm sure some of the 1053 have mooved on but many are probably lurking. Hope this brings some 'out of the woodwork'.

I'm Jeff from Columbus Ohio. Like tater, I've known several of these fine people since Prodigy days. I probably attended my first 'meet' with strangers I'd me on-line back in the late 80's/early 90's.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

I'm Daisy from central California - and a relative newcomer since I didn't even own a computer in 1990<g>. I found the old Prodigy BB around 1993 and remember being concerned about meeting "strangers" from the internet - I showed up at my first meet a 2-3 years later only because it was in a public place where I could look around and skedaddle if things looked scary<g>.

Mine is "irishmick" we have visited Las Vegas off and on for many years...We stayed out on the strip for A few years and then the "Golden Nugget" until we moved over to the "Fremont" and now always stay there..sometimes about four trips a year! We live just south of Portland Or and I was born and raised on/in a small ranch/logging town in the northeastern corner of the state (Wallowa county) I have been to several meets in Las Vegas but never had the good fortune to be at one of this boards....
Good topic and have a great Christmas/Holiday..

Hi, I'm Eric. My wife is Ellen and actually she spends much more time reading the board than I do.

We have been sort of on and off. We go back to the Prodigy days and attended a couple of meets about 7-9 years ago. We were in an active period of visiting Las Vegas two or three times a year in the late 90's but a mix of kids going to college, spending vacations with older parents and a broken leg that was slow to heal cut us back to no more than once a year for the past few years.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

This reminds me of an AA meeting! LOL Not that I've ever been to one of those....after all AA's for quiters!
I'm Lee from Reading, PA. I've been here almost from the beginning of Talkvegas (10 other moderators before me, I was #11), and befor that I was also with the old prodigy board. I was very cautious about meeting people from the internet, live. But I showed up anyway at an old Prodigy meet @ The Green Shack. The rest is history. I check the board daily, however, Here is something that you all probably don't know, Sharon (partner) checks the board daily also, and I'm not sure if she has ever posted an item!!!
Kes, remember, to read the board, you don't even have to sign up, so there is really no way of knowing how many people are really reading this board!
Merry Christmas, and a Happy & Healthy New Year!

HI Kes,

I'm Tom and I've been lurking around the corner for......a long time. So long, in fact, that I not only don't remember my old password, I couldn't remember my old email address. So I reregistered.
I've been in touch with a number of the members all along but for some reason I just never posted on the board. Thanks for the gentle push.

Anyway, I'm b - a - c - k.

Tom

Welcome back Tom! Have you had any trip to Vegas lately? Got any planned?

Yes, glad to hear from all of you so far!

ANd Lee - Sharon DID post at least once. I can't remember exactly what, but it was in response to a question I asked a year or two ago.

It's fun to see that a lot of us who have met face to face were nervous about that first time. I know when I was driving over to my first meet, I felt like I was going on a blind date with 11 people!

But - the board is not all about the meets, its about the board - so hoping to hear from more that we may only ever "meet" in cyberspace.

Hi all,

I'm Pat and I've been reading the board for many years. I have found a wealth of information on my newest favorite vacation spot-Las Vegas. I post very infrequently but I always enjoy reading and learning many things about Las Vegas. We did manage two trips this year and they were enriched by the information I got from the very friendly and welcoming members here. Thanks guys. Now if I could only start to win...

In any case- Merry Christmas everyone and I'm hoping to plan a trip or two for next year.

Pat

My name is Mike. I've been reading this board for probably 10 years or so. Although I grew up around horse racing and considered myself a gambler, I always resisted casino gambling, mainly because my father thought casinos were losing propositions and the only areas of gambling where you had a legitimate shot to win were sports and horse racing.

I discovered Las Vegas in 1996 when I went there for a business trip. My first hotel was the Flamingo and I was amazed. I remember when I checked in how, incredible it was - there was a line of people (like in a bank!) and there were EIGHT check-in stations! The woman checking me in was very nice and seemed amused that this was my first time in Vegas - I asked her a slew of questions and she kindly answered every one of them (like how many rooms the hotel had - 3,200 - wow!!) . She gave me a map of the strip and a nice room overlooking it. I remember being mesmerized by the view of Caesar's, the Mirage, the Mirage volcano, and the Rio off in the distance.

Other memories that stuck with me were stepping on to the strip that night and seeing Excalibur for the first time, thinking how neat it looked and wondering what it was - I originally thought it was an amusement park! The green glow of the MGM Grand hypnotized me. I was awestruck by the Bacchus Fountain Show and the indoor sky at the Caesar's Forum Shops. And I thought like I had stepped into heaven when I saw the sportsbook at the Mirage.

On that trip, I was working a Urology convention (yes, I was!) and a doctor I was interviewing had to stop in the middle to take a call from his wife. Upon returning, he was laughing and said his wife had just won a car on a slot machine and he didn't know how he was going to get it home since they lived in Baltimore. I found that so cool and exciting!

I got my first lessons at craps and blackjack on this trip, from my boss and his wife! We practiced at the $1 BJ tables and the 25 cent craps tables at the Casino Royale! I dabbled in slots too but didn't have much success, although I did love the dark, subdued atmosphere at Caesar's beautiful casino and wandering around the machines with my cup of quarters! (I didn't discover video poker until my next trip, playing one quarter at a time. Late one night at Caesar's, I hit my first quad - 10's on a JOB machine - and was instantly hooked.) I also remember seeing a woman wearing black gloves and playing THREE slots machines at once.

I discovered TalkVegas through a friend of a friend of mine. My friend Bill worked with his friend Linda, who was from the original Prodigy days. Linda was an incredible resource for everything that was Las Vegas and she turned me on to a lot of the joys of this city. I'll be forever grateful to her for that.

Hi - my name is Wendell and I am from Fort Worth, Texas. I try to visit my favorite city at least 3 time a year. I am retired military and date back to the Prodigy days. My first visit to Las Vegas left me in absolute "awe" and have been "hooked" every since. The magnificant structures up and down the Strip are really a "marvel" to behold - I have traveled extensively thru out what used to be called the "free world" and I have never seen anything like it anywhere. It is also interesting to note that in our last Thanksgiving meet, we had people from New York, Pennsylvania, Chicago, Texas, Nevada, California, and Washington - all across the U.S. Cities and towns all over the world have tried to emulate or copy Las Vegas and none have succeeded - it is constantly changing and we try on this board to keep you posted and up to date - so read on!

JMT,
Actually we will be in Las Vegas very soon, from Jan 1 to Jan 4. We are looking forward to the trip since we have not been there for a year. We are staying Downtown which we like very much.
Anyone else going to be in town during that time?

Tom

Tom, I was soooo close, but the airfare is a killer. I am doing AC for a change. Never been there over New Years, so this will be something real different. Maybe I'll get lucky and the casino will be so full of people I won't be able to get on a machine!

"Maybe I'll get lucky and the casino will be so full of people I won't be able to get on a machine!"
:p

Me name is Ed and I live in Michigan and travel to vegas a few times a year.

This board has been great. The old Prodigy days made Vegas traveling a lot of fun. I remember in the old days the Vegas calendars that where sold on the Prodigy board to raise funds for charities in vegas.

This board has allowed a lot of people to share information and I look forward to many more years to come. Thanks to everyone for the great postings.

Hi, I'm Kathy. I'm from NE Wisconsin. I don't get to this board as often as I like, but then again, I don't get to Vegas as often as I like either.

Hello,
I often ask many questions just before or during my yearly trip to Las Vegas.I am from CT and enjoy the ever-changing sights and sounds in Las Vegas. There is always something new to see or do every year. I am looking forward to seeing the new Palazzo as I have watched it being built. I love to just walk the strip and look at the massive hotels and outdoor shows. I never get tired of the Bellagio fountains and the beautiful music. So many of you have been a great help on advise, new sights, new restaurants and hotels. It all makes the trips more enjoyable. I look forward to reading everyones commentaries, especially from the locals. I often feel that I am there several times a year by reading these descriptions! The information is appreciated.

Hi
My name is Jim and I live in Ontario, Canada about 30 minutes from Niagara Falls. I first went to Vegas around 1976 on a chartered bus from Anahiem California. My ex and I were there for a convention and saw a notice on a bulletin board for a trip to Vegas and back. We jumped on the bus and off we went across the dessert. I will never forget seeing a curtain of lights shining above the hill we were climbing until we reached the summit and there was this unbelievable city of lights.

I went back the second time with my sister and her husband on their honeymoon ( I know, I know, he has never let me forget it.) Since then I have stayed at the Flamingo, Mirage, Imperial Palace and Golden Nugget. The other day I was watching a video I had taken one trip when my present wife and I were driving down the strip. It was amazing to see all the hotels that are now just a memory. There was the Dunes just before it got imploded, the Hacienda, Sands, Frontier with the workers picketing outside, Dessert Inn, Holiday Inn.

I have not been back since 2001. I thought that was about to change as a friend of mine will be at the surfaces convention at the end of the month and I was going down and staying with him at Treasure Island but my wife has gotten ill and been in the hospital since Jan 3rd. so that will have to wait till another time. Anyway, good topic Kes.