FAQ

These are the questions you are going to want to ask us when you see us in person. Feel free to just read this instead.


How was your trip?

It was a great time. You can read all about it on our blog. Or else you can just assume it was great, because we lived in Las Vegas, and you shouldn't need more information than that. It is nice to be home though. Real nice.

Why did you choose Las Vegas to live in?

It was more like Las Vegas chose us. It was really the only place that was hiring travel nurses (see next question) without travel nursing experience. We originally wanted to live in like California or maybe Portland, but Las Vegas ended up being our home. Not complaining, obviously.

What did you do for a job?

Pam: Well, I was a travel nurse for a travel nursing agency. Eventually, after about a month of hopping between different Vegas hospitals, I came to end up at a hospital called Sunrise, more or less for the rest of our stay.

Joe: I went to Vegas without a job lined up, and lucked into employment with a call center about a mile and a half from our hotel. I made calls for non-profit organizations, fundraising and what have you.

How often did you work?

Pam: Eventually, I ended up working permanent Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, twelve hour shifts, starting on average around 9 a.m.

Joe: I could actually pick my own schedule, which worked out well, so eventually fell into a pattern of working the same days as Pam, give or take a Wednesday shift.

Where did you stay?

We stayed at an extended-stay hotel called The Candlewood Suites. It was a studio apartment, with a full-sized bed, kitchen area, and desk. And yes, Pam's work paid for our whole stay.

Was that far from the Strip?

We could walk to the Strip in about 20 minutes, or maybe drive to it in five.

Did you go to the Strip a lot?

Not as often as you'd think. It's definitely a tourist destination, and after the first few weeks, we didn't feel like tourists anymore. There's not much to the Strip besides restaurants and overpriced clubs, so if neither of these were on our agenda (the latter never was), we tended to avoid the Strip after a while.

What else was there to do besides the Strip?

Oh, plenty. There was a myriad of fun things to do off-Strip. Fremont Street was our favorite, which featured casinos and moderately-priced bars and was just in general more fun. We went to baseball games, did trips to the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon, and really just tried to experience as much as we could.

How did you get around? Was everything in walking distance?

Because we try to be healthy people, we tried to walk as much as we could. So, most of our trips to the Strip were via pedestrian means. Pretty much anywhere that you could walk to within 40 minutes we would walk to (it would take about 25 minutes to walk to and from work each day, says Joe at this point).

Otherwise, the bus system was pretty comprehensive. We usually took the bus to and from Fremont Street. Really, buses ran up and down every major street. It took a few weeks to get used to the system - more because I'm an idiot than any bus complications, says Joe again - but when we did, it was super simple.

Then, of course, I had my car (says Pam). My 2012 Toyota Corolla that I leased out there is still in top shape, even after driving the 2500 miles home. We drove that sucker around quite a bit (well, on nights that we didn't plan on drinking).

Did you gamble a lot? How much did you win?

We didn't gamble that much. We put a dollar in the slots at the airport when we got in, and promptly lost, so that was pretty much that. I (Joe) gambled on two other occasions: 1)  drunkenly put $25 on black at roulette and OF COURSE IT WAS RED; 2) I bet $10 on the Phillies at the Mirage because I thought I could get free drinks with that bet stub. The minimum was $125 bets for free drinks, but the Phillies won so I won $18 anyway.

But no. We didn't gamble.

Did you see any shows?

We did! Not that many, but we did see three. We saw LOVE, Absinthe, and a comedy show featuring Kevin James and Ray Romano. Each were unique and awesome in their own way. My (Joe's) personal favorite was Absinthe, but LOVE was incredible too, and James/Romano were great.

Did you go out to eat every night?

Nah, though there was an abundance of great places to eat. We usually went out maybe three times a week. For the other 18 meals in the week, we flexed our cooking prowess and made some meals in the home. That crock pot is freaking awesome.

But when we did go out, we had went to some great places. Our favorite was a taco place right around the corner called Yayo Taco. Cheap, tasty tacos, and a huge beer selection.

Were you at this one restaurant I was at when I was out there?

Probably not.

Was it expensive out there?

Yea, for the most part, it was, but we were smart about it. We balanced the $8 beers with the $1 beers. We balanced out the fancy dinners and the Jack in the Box and the cheap homecooked meals. We worked hard to get those paychecks and not blow our savings.

Do you miss it?

We miss certain things, yea. A lot of little things, like the sound of a casino or the view from our window or the mammoth heights of the hotels. But all in all, we don't miss it that much.

Are you happy to come home?

Of course. Duh. We missed everybody like crazy.

What will you miss the most?

Probably the fact that we felt like we were on a five-month vacation.

What did you miss the most?

Family, friends, and cheesesteaks.

How was the weather?

It was dry and hot most of the time. It was hard to appreciate that dry heat until we didn't have it anymore, which was when we pulled up to Houston and practically swam out of the car. The sun was brutal in Vegas. Sometimes it felt like hot irons.

How come you don't have a tan?

Suntan lotion, baby. I (Joe) am married to that SPF 35. Pam is a little less liberal on the suntan lotion, but she can still realize the importance of it. No skin cancer!

Did you take a lot of pictures?

Sure. Check out our blog for pretty much all our pictures.

I know someone who moved out there.

Cool.

How was your ride home?

It was a lot of driving. But we stopped at some cool places. Los Angeles was a good time, and New Orleans in particular was awesome. What a great weekend there.  But yea, we drove a lot too. We made the best of it.

Now what are you up to? Are you working?

Pam is right back to her old job at Jeff, and she's excited to get back. I (Joe) am currently looking for something. Who knows. I don't want to talk about it.

So are you ever going back to Vegas? Are you going anytime soon?

We're going back for our 25th wedding anniversary, so in about 27 years. Until then, we've had our fair share of that city. Five months was enough.