Author: cgdevries

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Viva Las Savings

Viva Las Vegas!!!!!

Vegas has been my favourite vacation spot for many years. It’s an easy, fast and (when you want it to be) cheap holiday. But if you have never been, it can be easy to fall into schemes and spend money that will eventually make you wish you had sprung for the Cayman Islands instead.

To help you avoid some of the most common travel mistakes that I made, I am going to share some tips and tricks I have learned over the years to make your first trip to Las Vegas memorable and cost-effective.

Airport/Airfare/Travel Airplane departure

The flight from Calgary to Las Vegas is a quick 2 hours and 45 minutes (give or take) and most of the airlines (Westjet/AirCanda/Flair) will usually have a deal.

  • Summer
    • This is Vegas’s busiest time and will cost you more. But May or September will be cheaper, and you still get beautiful weather that will allow you to sit by the pool.
    • DON’T do Vegas in August… +50 C is awful, and everyone will be miserable. Plus you pay an arm and a leg for flights.
  • Halloween/Christmas
    • Worth paying extra for flights and hotels to see the decorations. Las Vegas goes all out for both holidays.
  • Las Vegas Airport
    • Has some but not many food options, and the ones they do have, are always lined up and are expensive for what you get. Make sure to eat before you fly out.

Taxis/Buses Taxi

  • Taxis from the Las Vegas airport are a standard flat fee depending on your hotel. But ranges from $21 – $29. Check this website for a better breakdown. https://lasvegasthenandnow.com/airport-to-hotel-taxi-flat-rates-take-effect-does-it-matter/
  • There are group shuttles where you can pay less but will make multiple stops along the way. The fair will include return trips too.
  • The Deuce is a double-decker bus that services the Strip to Freemont Street and back. You can purchase a 3-day pass for roughly $20 USD. I did find this to be a valuable investment for those nights when your feet are done, and instead of paying for a cab all the time, it is a cost-effective alternative.

Hotels Hotel

Las Vegas is known for the hotels along the Strip, with a mixture of cheap options, to very expensive. Here are my top 3 hotels and why starting with number 3:

3.   The Park MGM

  • A little down from being center on the Strip, but has a Deuce bus stop right in front.
  • Newly renovated, with a fun Italian theme.
  • Fantastic food and beverages.

2.   Caesars Palace

  • Located center of the Strip, making it easy to walk pretty much anywhere on the Strip.
  • Attached to the Forums Shops, which also include TONS of amazing restaurants. Make sure to check out the animatronic show next to The Cheesecake Factory.
  • The pool is gorgeous.
  • Rooms have fantastic views of the Strip, some of them look over the Bellagio water show.
  • Prices range from average to the high side.

1.   Paris Hotel

  • Located center on the Strip it is close enough to walk pretty much anywhere on the Strip.
  • Nice large rooms.
  • Reasonably priced pool cabanas that can be booked online.

Entertainment/Food/Drinks Party

Entertainment

Vegas is known for its entertainment, everything from Cirque du Soleil shows to Burlesque. But you don’t have to pay a fortune to see some of the entertainment that Vegas has to offer, there are numerous free shows along the Strip for visitors to see.

  • The Bellagio Fountains

This is a must for every new visitor, and it is best watched at night to get the whole experience. A beautifully done water dance with lights, that takes place every 15 minutes after 7 pm.

  • The Freemont Experience

Located on the “old Strip”, the Freemont experience includes ziplines and vendors, but the free aspect is the Viva Vision show that runs across a roof top screen that runs the length of Freemont Street. It is a 6-minute music show that runs at the top of the hour every hour after 6:00 pm. It is easy to get there too, the Deuce bus system will take you from the Strip to Freemont Street.

  • The Fall of Atlantis

Located in the Forum Shops attached to Caesars Palace, it is a large animatronic show about the Fall of Atlantis, it includes a large aquarium and pyrotechnics. Definitely worth taking a swing by.

Food

There are amazing restaurants in Vegas, and some can cost you an arm and leg, but there are some cost-effective options.

  1. The Cheesecake Factory- Forum Shops
  • Good prices
  • Large portions mean you can share meals
  • SOOOOO many cheesecake options

2. Hash House A Go-Go – the Linq Hotel

  • HUGE portions
  • Good prices
  • Fun atmosphere

3. Margaritaville

  • Huge portions
  • Good price
  • Fun atmosphere

Drinks

You can drink anywhere at any time on the Strip. It is crazy, but the drinks can cost more than food at times. The tried and true way to get some free drinks is to gamble a bit. Play a couple of slots (penny slots) and grab a drink from one of the amazing servers working at the casino.

Look for the stations that offer discounts on refills. They will give you a reusable cup and will usually have multiple locations. Make sure to ask where their other locations are!

Hope this helps a bit for your first trip to Vegas! This barely touches all of what Vegas has to offer, one trip down will never let you experience it all. I have been down so many times, and I am still discovering new things every time!

Happy travelling!

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Story Structure

All stories, whether they are long or short. Digital or written. New or old. All have the same structure they are built around.

The Beginning.

The Event

The Middle

The Climax

The End

These are any story writer’s basic principles. The Story Spine is also built around these principles too. It is story writing 101.

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The Crazy Bird Lady

As a single mom, there are lots of days I am home alone. When my kids are gone to be with their Dad, I find myself longing for the sights and sounds of another living entity in my condo. I started to think about getting a pet, something for the kids. But in reality, that was just a way for me to justify it … we all know the pet was for me.  I have always had dogs, but living in a condo isn’t ideal for training a puppy; I am severely allergic to cats; Fish are not ones that can provide the companionship I was looking for.

But as a kid I not only grew up with dogs, but we also had birds. My kids have been fascinated by birds for a long time too. I decided that a Cockatiel would be the best bird to fit into our family dynamic. They are friendly, love to be a part of the “flock” and can sing and talk if you spend enough time with them. I reached out to a local breeder and began the process of slowly setting up the condo for a Cockatiel.

Fast forward a few weeks later, and my neighbour who knew I was getting a bird, messaged me and said that they found a Budgie in a tree. After posting to the YYC Lost Pet Facebook page, no one claimed the little guy and they asked if I would like to take him home.

At this moment, my internal dialogue was more, at the moment, than a responsible adult rationale. Two birds, of course, would be totally better than one. Then they won’t be lonely. But what would be better than 2 birds??!! Why…. 3 birds of course. I quickly send a message to the breeder I was getting the original first Cockatiel from and asked if he would happen to have another Cockatiel available for adoption. He did…Sign me up! I have now turned into the crazy bird lady.

The first week of July, the kids and I packed up for a day trip to drive to Leduc to pick up our two new Cockatiels that would be joining Budgie. We bought this backpack we saw on TikTok that can be used as a cat carrier or… a bird carrier.

Check out my story on Twitter.

Assignment 2 breakdowns…

When telling this story on Twitter, I defaulted to the 8 points a Story Arc. I think in general most stories will fall under this story construct structure. Unless, of course, you write a cliffhanger… but with my story, well you all know how it ended.

I also included the typical beginning, middle and end. I am slowly starting to like storytelling through Twitter. But I am still a novel girl.

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Uncle Ben said it best…

With great power, comes great responsibility. Even to this day, those words spoken famously by Uncle Ben to his nephew Peter Parker, send chills down my spine. It is a quote forever marked in time. The story of Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man will be forever marked in time. It has been classified as good storytelling since its inception by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in August 1962.

The story has evolved over time, from comics to tv shows, to numerous franchise movie reboots. Some done better than others (*Cough* Tom Holland *Cough*).

But most recently, Sony Pictures created a newly animated Spider-Man story that follows a young New York teenager named Miles Morales in the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and this story has inspired a new and great storytelling platform for Spider-Man.

This story still has the fundamentals that make Spider-Man good, the unlikely hero we love and cheer for. Good vs. evil, the witty loveable supporting characters, the struggle to triumph journey. But what sets Into the Spider-Verse apart? It’s the visual storytelling.

The colours, the animation, and the digital design all draw you in because it is new and exciting. Something we have not seen done before.

Let’s dive deep into how visual storytelling is setting itself apart and why it’s paving the way for new ideas.

The unique modern-day comic book design hits the nostalgia button for all comic book readers, which still includes action and thought bubbles. The colours are bright and vibrant, which is shown off in the spray paint art Miles does at the beginning of the film, or the portals that open between different multiverse. You can’t help but have your eyes drawn in by it all.

But the most intriguing aspect of the movie is the frames per second (FPS). When you first watch the movie as Miles learns about his powers and starts his journey to becoming Spider-Man, he is displayed as clumsy, awkward, and lacking confidence in the way he moves. Compared to Peter Parker, who is teaching Miles the ropes of being Spider-Man, who moves smoothly, and effortlessly across the screen. Typically, in animation, this is hard to show. Animators would have to use incidents, like dumping into things, falling down, etc. This conveys to our brain that the character is indeed, clumsy.

But as you watch Miles, his walking, running, and swinging just seems…wrong. This is where it gets interesting, and where Sony has stepped up visual storytelling. The movie and characters were filmed at a 24 fps for Into the Spider-Verse.

Watch how Peter Parker swings verses how Miles Morales swings…

But, Miles, at the beginning, was filmed at 12 fps compared the 24 fps around him. This creates a message to our brain, that something is off, that he seems to be slower and clumpier. As Miles becomes more confident as Spider-Man, Sony began to increase the fps on Miles until the end when he is finally at 24 fps with the rest of the film and easily glides across the screen. Pretty cool huh! This small attention to detail has set this film apart from other visual storytelling. It has become one of the most beloved Spider-Man movies to date.

Visual storytelling allows us to create these magical worlds and scenarios that seem impossible and fantastical. But when you take that storytelling outside of the box, like filming at different frames per second, the storytelling is taken to a whole new level.

For me, the story, the animation, and the characters have made Spider-Man: Intro the Spider-Verse one of my favorite stories, and it will continue to be for a very long time.

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