I love Las Vegas!! Let me reiterate. I LOVE VEGAS!! A “theme park” for adults is just the tip of the iceberg on how great of a city it is. I know, I know. This is supposed to be a blog about Atlanta, but we do have a section on “vacation spots.”

And you don’t have to love gambling, liquor, or clubs to enjoy Vegas. Though it certainly helps. Vegas is a vacation destination for everyone - and they have everything.

My theory on why Vegas is such a great attraction: It appeals to all 5 senses.

Hear: As soon as you step off the plane, you can’t help but hear it. THe “ding, ding, ding, ding, ding” of the slot machines. You are in Vegas! And that’s just the beginning. The sounds of the dealers, more slot machines, and the pay-outs falls just short of sensory overload, but it’s just a warning of what’s to come.

Smell: Whil the sense of smell is usually associated with something negative, one can’t help but notice a different type of smell in the air. Not speaking specifically about the smoke, there is clearly something that alerts your nose as soon as you walk out of the elevator and into the lobby. Rumor has it they pump oxygen into the casino’s to keep people alert and awake. Maybe they spray a little bit of perfume too.

Touch: As Anyone who has been to Vegas can tell you, as soon as you turn in your cash money, you receive a “tower” of chips. Each token you have, is another price of admission to play. Whether dice, blackjack, or craps, you are IN the game. And there is nothing more satisfying then winning, and picking up a bigger stack than you put down. Of course, if you are into poker, then you get even moreinvolved. Touching the cards, watching your stacks of $5 chips go to $25 chips -$25 go to $100. The sense of touch is greatly hightened, and it’s that involvement that keeps at entertained. That and maybe the hot table that doesn’t want to take your money.

Sight: I know where you think I’ll be going with this one. But we’ve talked about the casino’s already. There’s more to Vegas than gambling. And if you can break from the card games or dice games for just an evening, you will find that there are plenty of shows to go see. Magicians, Mentalists, Dancing, Acrobatics. And if you really want to, yes, there are plenty of adult themed clubs to go to.

Taste: There is nothing like the restaurants that are on the strip. Yes, you can go to an “all you can eat” buffet for $45.99, but the quality of food will not be worth what you can get if you spend a little bit more. On my last trip, we went to SushiSamaba. Not knowing what to order, we allowed our waiter to decide for us. Taking into account the seafood allergy at the table, our waiter quickly brought us 3 “appetizer” plates to munch on as he prepared his choices for our dinner. Little did we know that this was a theme that would continue throughout the night. New takes on Salmon Rolls (using melted mozzarella) or Spicy Tuna, including a dab of Foi Gras on top.

I love Las Vegas, and all5 of my senses are set to overload when I go. I didn’t even scratch the surface. Every time I go, I find a new hotel to walk through, a new place to eat, an interesting game to play, or even some new method to get me to buy a touristy toy or see a new show or walk into a new club. It’s also different, and always fun!