Columnist Susan Snyder: For locals, Strip isn’t last resort

Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2004 | 8:19 a.m.

Heather Chapman won a free trip for two to Las Vegas.

Whoop-de-do.

She lives in Silverado Ranch.

"I didn't get to fly anywhere, so that's a bummer," she said.

Then again, no airline trip means no airport security delays -- always a plus.

So Chapman and her husband, Chris, were looking forward to it just the same. And why not?

Think about it. When was the last time you had the chance to be pampered at a Strip megaresort and someone else offered to pick up the tab? Shoot, when was the last time you even thought about staying at one of them -- as a guest?

I posed that question to a few friends this past weekend, and they looked at me as if I'd set myself on fire.

"When show tickets cost $100, my fingers get real sticky holding onto my money," one said.

Forget paying $250 a night for a room -- no matter what those fountains are doing just outside the window. The only time any of us typically venture down there is when a few of the valley's 35 million annual visitors are staying in our guest rooms.

You know the drill. Friends or relatives come into town and want to see the Strip.

You drive them up or down once to admire the lights and mayhem.

You show them the dancing fountains, the erupting volcano, the sirens and their sinking pirate ship.

You hope their Strip fantasies are sated -- or at least that you've walked them into exhaustion so you can get home in time for "The West Wing."

But stay down there? Us?

Chapman figured, "What's not to like?"

So she entered the Clairol Herbal Essences "Dare To Streak" sweepstakes. It was so long ago she hardly recalls sending in the entry blank.

It involved answering two fill-in-the-blank queries. Entries with correct responses were put into the drawing for one of the 75 grand-prize trips. The correct answer happened to be the name of the Las Vegas hot spot where all the winners would attend a reception and hair-streaking party -- the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay.

"I knew it was a location in Las Vegas, and because I lived here it was easy," Chapman said.

The House of Blues party was Sunday, the second night of her free "trip."

The Chapmans have a 9-year-old daughter and twin girls age 7, who keep them pretty busy. Heather transcribes medical records from home when she's not ferrying their daughters to wherever it is they need to go. Chris works in a commercial interior design studio.

With a house in the suburbs, they're pretty much like the rest of us. Both could use a little vacation, even if it's close to home.

And especially if somebody else is paying.

"We really don't spend that much time on the Strip, unless we're going to a concert or have visitors. There's just too many tourists," Chapman said. "But this will be a nice, relaxing weekend away from the kids. We'll probably hang out in rumjungle or Red Square."

Bars -- she's talking about bars at Mandalay Bay.

It really has been awhile since you've ventured down there, hasn't it?