Ok, here's your March thinking test

You are in vegas and some serious event happens.* You have a car and $250 to get home. Flights out are iffy. To complicate matters you are in charge of a minor child and have no credit cards.

You are trying to get to:

1. easy distance Los Angeles
2. Harder New Orleans
3. Expert Chicago

You stop at a big box discount store on the way out of town -- what do you buy?

TRO


(* you pick)

Tank up the car if you didn't have the sense to do it when you arrived. If you can find it (it's probably already too late), buy several gallons of water and some granola bars and get out. Don't stop to chat, don't flash your money, just get out.

Las Vegas is a sewer of humanity, with probably half of its two million population being criminal in one respect or another. The number of thieves, hustlers and lowlifes that live there is phenomenal, plus the ones just visiting which are part of the average 350,000 visitors on any given day (not counting the heat of summer).

This city is far more crime-ridden than the media likes to say. They don't want to scare off all the business. If you want some real entertainment, take your police scanner with you, and program it to the local channels, of which there are quite a few.

Vegas is also extraordinarily dependent on piped-in water. If that source happens to be cut off, it's going to get really ugly, really fast. The closest small cities of any size are Barstow, CA and St. George, UT, about 125 miles awat. Neither of them would be able to handle the influx of the number of rats leaving that sinking ship.

And for anyone who wants to point out that LV has the most churches per capita (which may no longer hold true), it's because the gamblers want Divine Assistance at the tables and slots.

Sue, who's glad she's out of that toilet

Susan....you sounded like you have a lot of animosity toward
my fine city.
Tell me more.

I hate being one of the first to respond to these things because the first few folks always get torn apart but here goes. I'm going to ignore the LA option.

First some math to consider:
Las Vegas to Chicago is 1750 miles (according to Mapquest)
Las Vegas to New Orleans is 1740 miles (same source)

Assuming an average gas price of $2.50/gallon (locally for me it's $2.35 now)
- If the car gets 30 MPG you will spend $145.83 in gas
- If the car gets 25 MPG you will spend $175.00 in gas
- If the car gets 20 MPG you will spend $218.75 in gas
- If the car gets anything less than 18 MPG you do not have enough money for gas to Chicago or New Orleans much less food, water or anything else.
AND this is all assuming gas actually does average $2.50 which is probably not realistic because if there is an “event” gas prices will go up quickly AKA Katrina.

Possible alternatives to car travel? – None I can see or would be willing to do.
With only $250 and no credit card flights out are beyond the budget even if they are flying. And according to my quick check of Greyhound.com a bus would cost $242 ($151 for the adult and $91 for the minor child) and Amtrak quotes a train to Chicago at $409. Therefore both the bus and train are also beyond the budget.

Therefore I will assume the car gets 20 MPG so I am spending:
$218.75 Gas
$ 4.98 24 Pack of 16.9oz Bottled Water
$ 2.98 Box of 10 Breakfast Cereal Bars
$ 2.98 Box of Peanut Butter
$ 2.50 Crystal Light Hydration Drink Packets (to keep electrolytes up)
$ 2.99 Box of 24 Stay Awake caffeine pills

Total Spent: $235.18 leaving me $14.82 in cash.

The above ASSUMES I have my EDC, PSK, and FAK with me…if not for some
unknown reason I did not have ANY of these three things then I would:
Eliminate the Breakfast Cereal Bars and buy:
$5.00 pre-paid phone card
$5.00 2 Emergency Space blankets
$3.00 Bottle of Advil

Ok now I’m out there on the limb, let the criticism begin…

I can't tell you what I'd do - what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

I think Susan is being a little harsh on Vegas. Half the people are criminals?

I have to side with Gator on this one...great answers.

US road map ($3)
Nevada, Arizona state road maps ($6) (smaller roads, to get to I-40)
case of water ($8)
ramen ($3) (eat it raw, toss the salt- it swells up to make you feel full)
duct tape ($2) (I really don't like being around little kids)

Head for Oklahoma City and decide then between NO and Chi-Town.

(Or am I misreading the map?)

Sue, I grew up in the Vegas area during the 70's-80's. Though I have no desire to move back there, I certainly don't hate the place the way you do. Did you get mugged a lot or something?


My solution to the excercise would be to grab some supplies and head west to the Mt. Charleston area. It's an unlikely direction for other refugees to take, and staying up there for a week or two makes more sense, depending on the weather and on the type of "event". If it is an NBC event, the prevailing weather and winds blow toward the east, so being at higher altitude and west of town would be best. From there you can take back roads that can lead into the Sierras, south down to SoCal or Arizona, or north to Reno.

This solution wasn't on the multiple choice, so no points to me, but I still think it could be the best solution.

I'm lazy. I sell the car, and get a nice berth on Amtrac...

Leaving Las Vegas?

Easy. Ditch the kid. Start drinking heavily and die while making love to Elisabeth Shue...


That's assuming I'm Nicholas Cage....


M