My Trip to "Star Trek: The Experience" at the Las Vegas Hilton

In May of 1995, my friend Ray (who I know from college, had settled down with his wife in Arizona, and whose work involved being in charge of a territory that covered Las Vegas) sent me a copy of "Las Vegas Style" magazine. In it, was an article talking about a deal between Paramount and Hilton to create a Star Trek attraction in Las Vegas that would give people a chance to be "in" Star Trek. At first, it was supposed to open in Spring '97... then Summer '97... then November '97... and finally, January '98. Starting in January '97, information about the attraction started hitting the web. I kept calling the 1-800 number for information about the opening, but it was always a recording telling me that information would be available soon. Delay after delay, I thought it would never open. Sometime in June of '97, I had made contact with an employee of the Hilton who was associated with the project. The 1-800 number wasn't getting me anywhere, and I needed to know what was going on. I decided to call the hotel directly, and start asking around. Now I don't want to get anyone in trouble (you'll read about the kindness of employees when you get to Saturday's section) so I'll just call her Jane Doe. She would feed me information on the opening as soon as she heard anything. She even sent me a hat and tee-shirt because she liked my persistence. Well, sometime in late '97, I called her and she said "Perfect timing. I just got word that it will open on January 4th. It's not even on the net yet". I told her that when I come into town, I wanted to take her out for a beer to say thanks. I hung up and called reservations to book my room. Next came the call to Delta to exchange my frequent flyer miles for a ticket. After two and half years of anxious waiting, I went out to Las Vegas for the grand opening of "Star Trek: The Experience". This is a chronicle of my trip.

Tuesday, December 23, 1997

I got a letter in the mail today from my friends Ray & Leah. In April, they moved from Arizona to Nevada (just outside Vegas). "Perfect", I thought to myself. I can see some friends while I'm in Vegas, and maybe I can save on money by staying at their place on the first night instead of a hotel. Over the next few days I made plans to have Ray pick me up at the airport and to stay at their place on Thursday night, January 1st. A day or two before heading to Vegas, I had my last phone call with Ray. "See you at the airport".

Thursday, January 1, 1998

I got into Vegas at about 9:30pm. My friends Ray & Leah picked me up at the airport. Leah waited by the front door, and Ray came to my gate. The airport seemed pretty ordinary, but there were slot machines all over the place. Ray's brother Jim was in town also, and he was waiting for us in the car. Went back to Ray & Leah's house and just hung out. Ray makes homebrew, and we drank some of his summer wheat beer. We exchanged recipes and brewing techniques. At about 11:00pm, Jim decided to go out to the strip and check out the night life. I was going to go with him, but I hadn't seen Ray & Leah since their wedding a year and a half ago and figured I could wait until tomorrow. At about midnight, Ray and Leah decided to go to sleep, and I stayed up a bit watching television. I saw a commercial for "Star Trek: The Experience". I am very excited about getting to the hotel tomorrow.

Friday, January 2, 1998

Woke up and went to Wal-Mart with Leah. She had a few things to pick up and I needed to get a new watch battery. As it turned out, I actually needed a new watch. I broke mine last night on the airplane. It started beeping when the battery started to die. It woke everyone around me. I banged it around to shut it up, but that had no effect other than breaking a button (which was the reason I needed to buy a new watch). I rolled my watch into a blanket, and spent the last half of the plane ride sitting on it. It was the only way I could make the noise softer. For a while, I thought I was going to be shoved right off the plane with my watch. Oh well. I spent $9 for a new watch, figuring I'll get mine fixed back in Atlanta. Ray worked a half day and was at the house when Leah & I returned from Wal-Mart. Jim was getting dressed, and we all decided to go out to lunch. Before lunch, however, I got to see Ray's new toy. He bought a brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. We went for a 20 minute ride around town. Excellent!!! Maybe one day I'll be able to get a bike of my own. We piled into Ray's truck and headed for a local brew pub (I can't remember the name of the place). We ordered some appetizers, and as a first time customer, I got a free beer sampler. Lunch was good, but food is not why I came to Vegas. I am giddy with anticipation of getting to the hotel. Jim bought me lunch and said "might as well make your first meal in Vegas free.". I told him that wasn't necessary, but he was insistent. I guess having someone buy me lunch was a sign of great things to come. "Let's get to the strip", I'm thinking. Leah reminds me that "Vegas wasn't built on winners", and "make sure you stick to your budget". To prove I knew what I'm doing, I put $1 into the video blackjack machine. I won $5. "This is easy", I tell Leah. I lost the $5 before we left lunch.

We headed to the hotel, and as we passed numerous billboards for "Star Trek: The Experience", my excitement level jumped 10 notches. When I saw the huge Star Trek sign on the side of the Hilton, I knew the wait was all but over. We parked the car and went inside the front door. Seeing a Las Vegas hotel for the first time is a pretty overwhelming feeling. The lights are bright, there is ringing and beeping from all over the place, there are lots of people, and the size of the hotel is bigger than any I've ever been in. The first thing I did was walk right through the SpaceQuest casino to the entrance of "ST:TE". It was roped off, but you could see inside. Amazing! A huge replica of the original Enterprise is hanging over the entranceway. I can see a model of Voyager, the Enterprise D, and a Klingon ship inside. The promenade of DS9 is down to the left. I can see Quark's. A video screen on the back wall is playing footage from every Star Trek show and movie. I can hear dialogue and music. I was glowing... I'm sure of it. Leah and I got in line so I could check in, and Jim went to play some video poker. Ray said he was going to look around. The line was very long. After about 20 minutes in line, Ray came running up to Leah and me to tell us he saw "Scotty". Wow... a real Star Trek star is here. He went to find him again and try to get his autograph for me. I wish this line would move faster. Another 20 minutes and I am finally checked in. We all went up to my room and I dropped off my bags.

The room keys have the logo for "ST:TE" on them, and I got about 4 extras for souvenirs. Room 2734. Great view, motorized curtains on the window, and a promo for the grand opening on the Hilton channel. We went back downstairs, and Jim hit the video poker again. I still haven't thought about gambling, as thoughts of celebrities run through my head. Ray and Leah hang out with Jim while I try to soak it all in. Midnight, Sunday night, I'll be inside there for the "Warp 'N' Ride Preview". I scored 12:01am tickets - the first ride. $100 bought me the ride, a commemorative ticket, a poster, a limited Franklin Mint coin, and a display folder with the autographs of LeVar Burton ("Geordi") and Jonathan Frakes ("Riker"). I must point out, though, that I didn't get all the merchandise until Saturday morning when the "green room" opened. I hung out by the ropes around the entrance, and could spot numerous celebrities inside. I heard a guy on a walkie-talkie saying "Mr. Wang is preparing to leave, prepare for Mr. Wang". I looked over to my left and saw Garrett Wang ("Harry Kim") smoking a cigarette, waiting to leave. I followed the guy with the walkie-talkie right over to him. I asked for his autograph, and he was happy to oblige. Super cool guy. Told me the ride was great, and to have an excellent time. I told him it was great to watch him on Voyager and a thrill to meet him. He smiled and said thanks, and shook my hand. I swear he had one of those smiles, like the kind you get watching a kid open a present, like he was genuinely pleased to see me so happy. I went back and hung out in front of the entrance. Tim Russ ("Tuvok") walked in. The security guy didn't know who he was and tried to prevent him from coming in. I heard Tim say "do you know who I am? I'm on the show.". A manager rushed over and welcomed him to the hotel and showed him into "ST:TE". I asked him for his autograph, but he said later. About 30 minutes later, he emerged from the ride and looked over at me. He gave me a "just a minute" sign with his hand. He went back inside for a little bit, but upon coming out, he walked right over to me so he could give me his autograph. I said thanks, and tried to talk to him, but he was in a rush to get somewhere. A little later, I saw Jeri Ryan ("7 of 9") come in. She too was more than happy to give me her autograph. She is very pretty! Ethan Phillips ("Neelix") showed up in blue jeans and a baseball cap. I asked him for his autograph, but he replied, "if I give one to you, I'll have to give one to everyone." Oh well... you win some and you lose some. He talked to a manager for a minute and then rushed off to his room. Maybe I'll get it later. I didn't see any more celebrities, but I did meet two very nice people. Pat and Diedre, both from California, had come in for the opening. We talked about Star Trek, and I told them about the autographs I had gotten. They liked that Jeri wrote "resistance is futile". I guess I pretty much hung out, looking for stars, for a majority of the day and night. Pat & Diedre hung out with me for most of the time, but they left for dinner at about 7:30 or 8:00. Sometime after 8:00, and before Mike arrived, I took a break and decided to sit down at a blackjack table. I was the only player at the table, and the dealer shuffled the cards. He dealt out his and my hand and stood ready for me to play. I said "hit me". He stood there. I said "hit me", again. He stood there. With a slightly annoyed tone to his voice, he instructed me that I have to use my hands to make the "hit" or "stand" signs. Using my voice was not allowed. Boy, did I feel like a novice. I said "hit me" one more time, but now I also made the appropriate hand sign. After dropping about $20, I went back to celebrity watching and waiting for Mike to arrive. He showed up around 10:00. He wasn't there for any of the Star Trek stuff, just to gamble, have a good time, and keep me company. He found me standing in front of "ST:TE" with Diedre and Pat. I introduced him to my new friends, and we all talked for a while. Mike went to go play some blackjack while I got the last of my star gazing in. 10 minutes later Mike came back to the entrance of "ST:TE" and told me he had just won $170! He left again to go play some more blackjack, and I soon realized that there would be no more hoopla tonight. Mike and I went up to the room to unloaded my stuff (camera, video camera, marker, autographs), and get ready for a long night of gambling. I asked Mike if he liked the tables. They were really cool, with lights just under the felt cover. Very futuristic looking. Mike said, "I LOVE those tables!" I looked over to Mike and saw him putting away the $170 he won. I think he likes them for a different reason than I meant. We went down to the casino at about 11:00. Let the gambling begin...

Now I've never been gambling before. Little did I know that I would enjoy blackjack so much. We played blackjack, on and off, for about 4 hours. It was fun. You get free drinks in Vegas while you're gambling, but I was sticking to Cokes and water. Rule #1: never drink and gamble - you'll only screw up. Besides, I was feeling better than I ever had before... I didn't need any help. At one point in the evening, Mike and I left the SpaceQuest casino and went into the main casino. While we're walking, Mike looks over at me and says "oh my god... those people are from Rafters". Rafters is a bar & grill located in Alpharetta, GA, and Mike is a manager and bartender there. He continues on, "I can't go anywhere in the entire world and not run into people from Rafters". We laughed, and I told him to go say hello. They were certainly surprised to see someone from home in the casino. They talked for a few minutes, but then we went back to playing blackjack. Small world. At about 2:30am, we decided to call it a night. I lost about $65, and Mike was up over $100. Not bad for day one in Vegas. We went to bed about 3:30am.

Saturday, January 3, 1998

I woke up at about 10:00 today. I had to go down to the "green room" to get my ticket to tonight's fan preview party and the collectable merchandise included with my ticket. There was a line of about 50 people when I got down there. There was a slight delay in the room opening. It turns out that TicketMaster only delivered the pre-sold tickets, and not the ones to sell on-site. Now this didn't bother me, as I order my tickets the day they went on sale. At about 10:30, the line started moving. I got my ticket... 12:01am! I was going to be in the first group on the ride. In addition to getting into the party (and ride), I got a collectable poster, a souvenir ticket, and a limited edition Franklin Mint coin in an autographed display folder. As I explained earlier, the display folder was signed by LeVar Burton ("Geordi") and Jonathon Frakes ("Riker"). As I was getting my stuff, I heard someone call my name. Diedra and Pat had just gotten their collectibles, and were on their way out. I told them "see you tonight". After getting my stuff, I went to talk to the pit boss about getting some breakfast. He punched up my account on the computer and said that none of my gambling was in the system. He asked how long I gambled last night, and I estimated about 3 or 4 hours. He gave me a voucher for a free breakfast buffet and told me to make sure I give my card to the pit boss when I play so I will be put into the system. I assured him I had, and then he explained that they were very busy last night, and sometimes the smaller bettors don't get put into the computer. Regardless of the computer glitch, he still gave me the voucher. On my way upstairs to drop off my stuff, I bumped into a guy who I was in line with. He pointed over to a woman and told me it was Marina Sirtis ("Troi"). I quickly grabbed a pen and went over to her. She was buying her morning coffee, and she looked like a mess. Her hair was wet, and she was a bit out of it. I asked her for her autograph, and she pleasantly said sure. She handed me her coffee while she took my pen and paper to sign. I said thanks and headed upstairs. I dropped off my stuff and got Mike so we could get something to eat. Mike was just finishing getting ready and I showed him the stuff I got. I told Mike about the free breakfast, and that he should ask for one too. We went downstairs, and Mike talked to a pit boss. He saw me standing there with Mike, so he gave him a voucher for 2 free breakfasts. All right... another free meal. We ate breakfast and then decided to watch some of the NFL playoffs. Vinnie, a friend of ours from Atlanta, had given Mike 2 "sure bets" for the playoffs. Mike put down $50, and I put $20 on Green Bay over New England. The plan is to roll over a win to tomorrow's game, or cut our losses if we lose today. We watched the game and played a little video poker until about 1:30. Green Bay won, so tomorrow we'll bet our winnings on the Kansas City/Denver game. We pretty much went back and forth between blackjack and watching sports (the Bulls and the Hawks were both playing) all day. At one point, I called my friend at the hotel (Jane Doe). She was very busy with the opening, and wouldn't have time for a beer. She said to meet her at the table next to the red carpet at 4:30. At least I'd be able to thank her in person for helping me maintain my sanity as I waited for this weekend to finally come. Red carpet you ask? Well, as it turns out, there is a VIP only, black-tie dinner for celebrities, media, and Paramount big wigs tonight, and in a fashion similar to the Oscar's, there is going to be a red carpet from the front door to "ST:TE", and all the celebrities will pull up in their limos and go inside. A great opportunity to spot some stars, and maybe get an autograph or two. At about 3:00, Mike lost me to star gazing. We made plans to meet for dinner, and then I was off to the fan preview party. "See you at 6:00, in the sport's book area". I wandered back and forth between the area where they were setting up the red carpet and stage for the band, and "ST:TE". There were famous people crawling throughout the hotel... I just need to spot them. I bumped into Majel Barrett-Rodenberry. I told her how much of a fan I was, and that I enjoyed watching her on the original series, as well as TNG and DS9. I also told her that although this is years after the fact, I wanted to share with her my grief, and the grief of millions of others, that was felt when her husband passed away. She told me I was sweet and then introduced me to her son. She is very nice, just as I had heard she was. I got her autograph, and then she was off to prepare for the big event. I hung out looking for more celebrities until 4:30 when I went to go meet Jane. I went over to the table and there were a bunch of security people in tuxedos, as well as many well-dressed executives. I went up to a man and a woman who looked important, and asked if they knew who Jane was. I'll call them Jack Doe and Jill Doe (I don't want anyone to get in trouble for what is about to happen). Jill asked who I was, and I briefly explained my relationship with Jane. She told me that she worked in her department, and that she would be down shortly. I excitedly told Jack and Jill about my incredible weekend so far. They were glad I was having such a great time and thought it was great that I had been waiting for this weekend for so long. Jane came down, and Jill called her over to us. I said hello and we were both glad to finally meet face to face. I wished we had more time to talk, but she was very busy with the matters at hand. She said to have a good time and then scurried off to finish the last minute details. As I turned to walk away, Jack called my name. I turned back around and he walked over to me. "Do you have any nice clothes with you?", he asked. "No, just jeans and oxfords", I said.

He pulled out a ticket for the black-tie, VIP dinner/preview and slipped it into my shirt pocket. "Go rent a tux, or you won't be able to get in". I stood there with my jaw open for, what seemed like an eternity, but was probably more like, a second or two. "Ok", was all I could mutter. "If you have any problems getting in, just say Dean sent me". As it turns out, Dean is the president of the hotel. "Don't worry though, I'll be at the door". He told me I could go to the front desk and find out where to rent a tuxedo. I shook his hand, thanked him to death, and sprinted to the front desk. I've got one hour before the grand opening, and I need a tux!

The front desk gave the phone number for a place called Gary's. I called them up and said, "I need to get a tuxedo... right now". The guy asked how far away I was, and I told him 5 minutes. He said the store was closed, but his wife (and co-worker) was coming back, so he'd be there. I told him I'd be right there and made way for the front door. The doorman called a cab over and told them exactly where I had to go. It was just a right out of the hotel, and a right at the first light - not more than 2 miles away. The cab driver pulled out of the hotel by hanging a left. "Uh... I think you're going the wrong way". I am a little nervous now, because time is running out quickly. We had to drive all the way around the block, and it took 15 minutes, instead of 5, to get there. The cab driver told me I only had to pay her $5 - the meter read $8 - since she screwed up. I asked her to have a cab come back in 20 minutes. The tuxedo store was definately closed, and the outside lights were turned off. The guy inside opened the door for me and let me in. His wife was the person who did the measurements, and she still hadn't arrived. I told him all about getting into the dinner, and how exciting the whole weekend has been so far. He told me that 3 more people had called after I did to get a tux, and he turned them all down. Wow, this is truly my lucky day. The guy's wife showed up, and her husband and I told her about my fortune as she measured me for the tux. I put the tux on at the sotre, and wore it back to the hotel. "I'm all out of black socks... do you have any with you?" she asked. Unfortunately, all I have with me in Vegas is white socks. "Just don't take big steps", was her advice. Oh well. They called a taxi for me, but they wanted to leave, and figured I was in a rush. The guy took me back to the hotel in his car, and said to have a great time. Can you believe how nice this guy is? The store stayed open for me, he drove me back to the hotel, and all I have to do is drop the tux at the bell-hop desk in the morning. I thanked him and made my way into the hotel. As I was heading for my room, I saw that there was a men's clothing store in the hotel. I walked in and asked them if they sold black socks. "Yes, would you like to see some"? I said, "I need one pair of your cheapest black socks". $14 later, I was dropping my clothes off in the room, grabbing my marker, video camera and camera, and heading downstairs for the big event. It was about 5:45, and I needed to find Mike to tell him I wouldn't be meeting him for dinner. I went to the sport's book area and looked around for him. Nowhere. I go back to the front area to make sure nothing has started yet. I go back to the sport's book area one more time. Nowhere. I turn around to walk back, and there is Mike. He's leaning on a counter watching some basketball. "Mike", I yell out. He looks over at me, and then a second later, get's this great look on his face. "What are you doing?", he askes. "I got in dude... I'm in the VIP dinner!". I told him briefly about the tuxedo sotry, but then I had to go. "Seeya' late night or tomorrow", I said. Mike said to have a great time. I knew I would.

The area in front of "ST:TE" is packed. People in black-ties and nice dresses are all over the place. I snaked my way all the way to the front, into a group of camera men and reporters. I pulled out my video camera and waited anxiously. Some time in the afternoon, they hung a big curtain over the entrance way, from ceiling to floor. You could hear some hustle and bustle from behind the curtain, but no one has any idea what to expect. There were a bunch of people running around with walkie-talkies, coordinating the grand opening. It was called "The Decloaking". The walkie-talkie people gave us a 2 minute warning so we could start up the cameras. At 10 seconds, we got a countdown. The lights were already off, and the room became quiet. "Ladies and gentlemen", the loud voice bellowed. People began to hoot and hollar. It was tense, and everyone was excited. Jonathan Frakes ("Riker") and LeVar Burton ("Geordi") read a script voiceover, as the theme for ST:TNG played loudly on the PA system. There was a light show on the curtain, and the smokey room definately added effect. It ended with fireworks, the curtain flying open, and a huge compliment of Starfleet officers standing at attention. There were Klingons, Ferengi, Bajorans, and even Borg. A huge applause erupted from the crowd as we were welcomed in.

Left-click to watch/Right-click here to download the video I shot of the "decloaking".

Needless to say, opening was GREAT! My heart was pumping so hard, I'm surprised the camera wasn't shaking. People streamed into "ST:TE", and the night had begun. I walked right into the "ride" portion of the attraction, and entered into the museum - "The History of the Future". As it turns out, anyone in a tux could have gotten in on this event. No one asked me for my ticket. There were way to many people going in to collect tickets. The tickets will be needed to get into the "dinner" portion of this event, but who knows when I'll get to that. I'm too excited to think about food.

I hung out in "ST:TE" for most of the night. I met and got autographs from a ton of Trek celebreties. One of the best parts of the evening was being in line to go on the ride, and I was right next to Armin Shimmerman ("Quark"). I asked him about being on Seinfeld, his move from the East coast to the West coast, and how he got started. He was very personable, and during the conversation, he introduced me to his wife. We went on the ride together, and a while later, I saw his wife standing on the Promendae. I tapped her on the shoulder and asked her what she thought of the ride. Well, to my surprise, I wasn't tapping Armin's wife on the shoulder, but someone I didn't even recognize. She said, "well... I loved it, of course; what did you think about it?" with a baffled look on her face. I raved about the ride and the museum and the Promenade. Needless to say, my descriptions were so enthusiastic due to the sheer joy in being where I am. "Who are you with?", she aksed me. I looked around to make sure there was no security in the area, but she said, "it's ok". I gleefully said, "I'm not with anyone! I'm the luckest Star Trek fan in the world, because I'm in _here_!". Well, she puts her hands on her heart and says with a huge smile, "Well I'm _________ (I can't remember her name), and I produced the film that you watch on the ride, and you don't know how much it means to me to have a fan like the attraction". I went on and on about how this "Experience" was going to be a mecca for Trek fans all over the world, and that being inside of the Trek universe was a dream come true. She smiled and asked me to come with her, that she wanted to introduce me to some people. To my amazement, she brought me over to Michael Piller and Rick Berman, executive producers (and bearers of the torch) of Star Trek. She had someone take a picture of the two of us, because she wanted to have a picture with a fan. This night is out of control. I can't believe I'm here. I walked out of "ST:TE" to the roped off entrance area, so I could drop my bags and stretch my arms. "Greg!", I hear. Diedra & Pat were behind the rope doing some celebrity watching. "What are you doing? How did you get in?", they asked. I told them about getting the ticket, who I've met, and shared my overwhelming excitement. They were psyched for me. I went to walk away, and a woman stopped me. She told me she was a reporter with People magazine, and asked if she could interview me. For sure! She aksed me what it was like, as a fan, to be inside this incredible event. Of course, I couldn't say enough, and the entire area of people around us was so congrtulatory towards me for having this dream come true. I went back inside and and just walked around, trying to absorb it all. I met Chase Masterson ("Leeta") and she was extremely nice. So far, she is the only celebrity that is going to stick around for the fan preview. All is all, this was a perfect night.

At about 10:30, I decided to go into the banquet room and get some food. I went the back way, and followed Jonathan Frakes ("Riker"), Michael Dorn ("Worf"), and LeVar Burton ("Geordi") to the back elevator. They didn't go to the banquet room, but it was cool to be walking down the hall with them. A security guard asked me for my ticket, and as I handed it to him, I asked, "is there any way I can keep this?". He said no, that I they put a stamp on my hand, and he had to collect the ticket, but I could get it back later. I pulled out a pen and paper and asked him, "ok... who do I have to see? Where do I go?". He must have realized that I wasn't going to be giving anyone else the ticket and took a step towards me. While holding the ticket down near his waist and waving it inconspicuously, he said, "just come back later... just come back later". I took the ticket from him, put it into my pocket, and said, "ok... later". Inside, there was a free buffet, drinks, and a band playing. It was decorated very nicely, and there were Star Trek logos all over the place. In the corner, they had a photo area set up where you could get your picture taken with a Vulcan, a Ferengi, or a Klingon. I got a couple photos, and a quick bite to eat. It seemed like most of the people in here are the people who couldn't get into "ST:TE". No celebreties in sight. I went back over to "ST:TE" until the black-tie event was over. It's about 11:30, and I've got tickets to get into the special "Warp-n-Ride" preview at midnight. I was going to wear my uniform there, but after wearing a tux and dress shoes, I decided to just wear jeans and tennis shoes to the preview. The place was packed all night long. I got into the preview right at 12:00, and went on the ride again. After the ride, I got some food at Quarks, and then decided to call it a night. If I never got into the black-tie gala, I'm sure I would have hung out until 9:00am when the special preview was over, but I was there for hours already. I hooked up with Mike, and we played blackjack until about 3:30am. We went back to the room, and Mike decide to call Patti (his wife). He figured she'd just be getting up for work, so he could say hi. They talked for a little while, and when he got off the phone, we realized that it was Sunday morning, not Monday, and he woke her up. A very funny note to end the evening on.

Here is a sampling of some of the photos I took during the black-tie event.

Armin Shimmerman

Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated

She would probably hurt me...

Which Rule of Acquistion is it that says, "Never trust a human"?

Jeri Ryan ("7 of 9") and me. She is totally cool. We talked about the both of us being from Illinois. I show this picture to non-Trek fans (who won't recognize who Jeri is) and tell them it was my date for the evening.

Real warriors

Sunday, January 4, 1998

Well, this story is getting huge, and I really wanted to focus on the Trek portion of it, so I'll just sum up today. We carried our football winnings over to the game today, but we lost. Mike and I ventured out of the hotel during the evening, and we did some sight seeing. We saw the MGM Grand, the Luxor, the Monte Carlo, Excalibur, Ceaser's Palace (including some pretty dumb talking statues), and New York, New York. We went on a roller coaster, I went on a motion simulator ride, and we played blackjack in all the casino's we visited. Besides watching sports, eating, and gambling... that was the day.

Monday, January 5, 1998

I got up in the morning and put my uniform on. I needed to get at least a few pictures with some aliens while I was "in character".

We checked out of the hotel, and it turns out Mike and I gambled enough that the casino host decided they could give us our room for free. Nice! We hung around the casino all day until it was time to take a cab to the airport. The plane eneded up departing late, and we didn't leave Vegas until after 1:00am.

Tuesday, January 6, 1998

Got home from the airport at 11:00am. Patti picked us up from the MARTA station. We took her back to work and then Mike took me home. I crashed. I set my alarm for 1:00pm, but I snoozed until about 2:00pm. Todd called while I was sleeping, but that conversation lasted about 10 seconds. I forced myself to wake up and took a shower. I unpacked, and tried to keep active so I wouldn't fall asleep on the couch watching the tube. I talked to my folks, my brothers, and some friends and told the same story over and over. It was great! Everyone was amazed at the fortune I had. A special thanks to my mom for suggesting I write down a chronicle of the trip. This will help me remember every detail of the most incredible weekend of my life. A dream come true. Had dinner and went to sleep early. I've got to work tomorrow, but at least I'll get to tell the story of the weekend again...