Anyone going to the Star Trek 40th Anniversary Las Vegas Convention?

[Tycho]

I just figured my cost in for a flight and rental car, convention tickets, etc.

It's about $500 because I have a friend who lives in Vegas and that'll give me a free place to stay right near the strip and all the action.

Who else is going, if anyone?

[JediTricks]

I didn't even know about it, Creation has stopped sending me mail for GOOD cons, though every once in a while they send me a mailer for a con they know I'd never go to.

Anyway, Vegas, at the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton, Aug 17-20th is the when and where. I don't know if I'll be going or not, but I am tempted already.

[Tycho]

I did some pricing to figure it all out:

$142 will get me a 4-day pass for the cheap seats (which is all I really need - it's like over $300 to sit up front where Shatner can back-slap you and yell at you to "get a life!")

$30 extra gets you in to Vic Fontaine's (James Darren's) live concert on Saturday night - with various Trek celebrities in attendance. (Every True Niner should go!)

$60 is the consideration I'm mulling over to meet Johnathon Frakes in person. You get your picture taken with him, but I'm actually interested in his agent's contact info because I have a creative project I'd like to colaborate with him on (I think he's an awesome director) and I'd submit my work (non-Star Trek) through professional channels - and it's not like I'm trying to hire Peter Jackson or something.

$153 is the price after all fees are accounted for in airfare to Vegas and back (purchased as individual flights on Southwest)

$160 is my car rental estimate. It might be quite a bit less.

Anyway, this adds up to $485 without the meet-n-greet with "Riker" and not needing a hotel for the trip (Las Vegas Hilton is totally booked, so they are using spill-over hotels - but you need not spend a lot. The Con goes from 11am to 7pm daily with evening activities like Vic's concert, so you won't need a fancy hotel - you'll never be there.)

Anyway, the Con is the 17-20, and they have an early check-in until 10pm on the 16th, so I'm flying out that day so as to not have to travel on a convention day.

Incidentally, you get the preferred air fare I got if you get your plane tickets now, as they require a 14-day advance purchase and it's not even August 1st yet. So hurry and buy now!

[Rogue II]

The LV Hilton is on the monorail, and Vegas has the new double-decker buses that run up and down the Strip. So if you can't find parking at the Hilton, try one of the other nearby casinos that are on those routes. It's going to be 100°F+ here, so you probably don't want to walk. The Las Vegas Convention Center is also on the route. I recommend one of the casinos on the east side of the Strip that have a parking garage. Having the sun beat down on your car all day here is bad.

My daughter's birthday is that weekend, and I'm not much of a Star Trek guy, so I won't be attending. I had no idea there was a convention that weekend. We'll most likely end up going to the Rain Forrest Cafe at MGM for her birthday. When you live in Las Vegas, you typically don't spend much time on the Strip.