Hey monkeys,
As some of you may remember, I am in the unique position of having a so-called 9 month period of freedom before I start my investment banking stint. Well, not it's more like 7.5 months, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been busy using the advice you all gave me a month and a half ago about how to best take advantage of this "break".
Here's the original thread I posted, looking for travel advice (among other things).
One user suggested traveling through the United States before going abroad -- I took that advice, and I've had a blast.
Over the past few weeks, I have done a ton of traveling West of the Mississippi -- previously uncharted territory for a Southern lad like myself. I've driven nearly 4000 miles, trying to squeeze in as much sightseeing as possible into a relatively short time frame. I've had a blast, and here are my thoughts so far:
I started my trip in Denver, CO
If I weren't militantly in love with the Southeast, I would snap live in Denver. This city, and more importantly the surrounding areas, is among the most beautiful, chill, and pleasant places I've ever been to in my life. The people were extremely nice and down to earth (you know, despite the elevation, har har), there was ample great food, and the scenery is breathtaking.
After spending some time in Denver, we hit the road on a ~12-hour trek to Las Vegas, Nevada, driving through the Rockies during a weak snowstorm (again, breathtaking) as well as the mysterious but beautiful portions of Southern Utah.
Verdict: awesome
Las Vegas, NV
In a past life, I was a semi-professional poker player, though I only ever played online. Live, as some of you monkeys may know, is remarkably different from online poker, so despite being in the greatest city on earth for professional gambling, I abstained from playing any poker during my time in Vegas, and instead decided to play the by definition "-EV" game of BlackJack. No more needs to be said about that :)
Vegas is definitely a fun time. The weather was fantastic, and it's totally acceptable to be wasted every minute that you're in town: does it get better? I didn't spend a ton of time in Vegas, and I did have a great time, but I feel like it's a place you only go to a few times in your life. Beyond drinking and gambling, both of which are fun, there isn't a whole lot going on. Maybe I'm wrong here, though.
Verdict: awesome, but I can see how it could get old quickly
Los Angeles, CA
Well, 99% of people who have been to LA seem to despise it with a passion. I loved Los Angeles.
I suppose I should add a disclaimer: I spent the majority of my time in the LA area in Santa Monica with friends, and Santa Monica is really something special. The entire time I was wondering why on earth anyone would want to live somewhere other than Southern California, because it did actually strike me as that perfect. I will say that the traffic was annoying, but I think I can stomach a little bit of driving in exchange for permanently sunny skies, beautiful women, and nice and very relaxed people all over the place. Thank God LA has a good bit of IB and PE -- I'd like to head out that way in the future if possible.
Verdict: why live anywhere else?
There's a lot more to be said of my travels in the US so far, but this post is already getting long. Do other people out there feel similarly about Las Vegas? Am I weird for thinking it's over-the-top and could easily get old? What are WSO's thoughts on Los Angeles? Denver? Interested in hearing what you guys have to say.
As always, thanks for reading.
Vegas is one of my favorite spots. It is like NYC but on crack. There is so much to do. First, you've got all the nightlife ever packed into one strip. Nightclubs, bars, etc. Then if you're in town for awhile, there are always good concerts and shows to see. You literally will not find better food anywhere else in the US. But the thing that most people don't see about Vegas is everything off the strip. I like that there is a little Asian town just off the strip for some authentic asian food. Then there are the typical local offstrip nightclubs and bars frequented by the UNLV students and other locals. The strip clubs like spearmint rhino have some of the most beautiful women who'll take your money in a heartbeat. Sure gambling is apart of the vegas experience. But my favorite things to do in Vegas include everything but gambling. I guess that I've been to Vegas enough to know that the only game I'll consistently win at is poker. And well, there's a poker house just 3 miles from my home so I only gamble in Vegas during the WSOP/WPT circuit, kind of hard to find big tournaments like that.
Some things you might enjoy on your next visit: 1. Visit the grand canyon 2. Catch a concert or show 3. Go offstrip to asia town for some food 4. Go skydiving 5. Play golf 6. Go to the shooting range 7. Race a corvette at spring mountain
The list is endless.
What about Downtown Fremont Street? That is the old school Vegas. I actually like it there much better than the Strip.
's 4-7 will def try to do next time i'm in LV, especially #7
's 4-7 will def try to do next time i'm in LV, especially #7
I agree with you on SoCal - it has some of the nicest areas in the country (minus the taxes). You saw one of the good areas. Orange County, San Diego, and Santa Barbara are also amazing. Downtown LA is unfortunately kind of miserable.
You might want to also check out Napa and SF while you are in CA. They are both pretty unique.
I would check out white water rafting in Utah or West Virginia if you're nearby at any time. Maybe hit the slopes in Aspen this winter. You've got to take a visit to Washington, D.C. because there's just a ton of stuff to do and see on the relative cheap. When the winter passes I'd highly recommend north Chicago--check out a Cubs game, take in the night life and beautiful girls and architecture, take out the boat on Lake Michigan. Make it out to NYC for St. Patrick's Day.
Personally I wasn't a fan of Southern California when I was there, but I can see why people would like it. Remove the people and government and start over from the beginning and it would be paradise on Earth. The traffic was just too much, and I'm from Washington, D.C.!! Never been to Vegas or Denver. I've been to every obscure place in America (eastern Kentucky; southern Illinois; Grand Rapids, MI; SW Virginia; west Texas; Florida panhandle; Lake of the Ozarks, MO; Kansas City, etc.). There's something charming and very personal about these places that tourist traps like Miami, Myrtle Beach, Ocean City, Los Angeles, New Orleans, etc. lack.
Good to hear you liked the idea of touring the US. If you liked Denver, you'll love Portland. I'll agree with you on Vegas, a buddy of mine moved there to be a manager at a casino there and loved it for the first month then got sick of it, the only time he parties is when we head there. As for Southern California I'm seriously biased, Born and raised In Orange County, and while I would love to live on the east coast I don't think I could live there for too long.
I was fortunate enough to live in Santa Monica for a year during undergrad. Amazing weather, beaches, restaurants, women, etc. Only about 40 minutes from Century City, an hour twenty from downtown LA. One of the best cities to live in in the US in my opinion.
Definitely not disagreeing with your choice to travel the States. I'd say its always a great choice to spend serious time travelling most large, geographically diverse (important), and culturally diverse (a little less important) countries like the USA, Canada, China, etc.
However, I don't agree with this advice for 2 reasons.
1) After (probably) ~20 years living in a place its important to see what's out there. Not having anything to compare your home (or chosen home, or travel destination) to makes it harder to appreciate how great it actually is.
2) As time and work go on, it will be harder for you to get farther away from home (work, family, etc). You won't have any choice but to spend your vacations at home, or near to it. Take the opportunity to get abroad while you can.
What you learn while abroad will help you appreciate home, and probably appreciate and better understand the people you are doing business with.
I pretty much can't stand LA, but even I'll admit that Santa Monica is pretty sweet.
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