I finally got a "Vegas" suitcase!
I am sure you are puzzled as to why I consider this to be a Vegas topic. Las Vegas is almost always my destination, so luggage = Vegas in my mind.
Once upon a time my parents bought me a set of lovely blue suitcases. Those bags are still in excellent shape, the only problem with them is that they have no wheels. They are from the olden days when every trip we took was by car, and you didn’t have to worry about how to wrangle them through an airport. Even though they are in good shape, they don’t meet my needs at this point in time.
Our current family suitcase set was purchased about twenty years ago; two large suitcases and two medium suitcases. And they are black, boring black, the same colour suitcase of almost everyone on the planet.
Three of the four suitcases of our set have all broken in the same place; the zipper. (At least they are consistent.) On my last trip, the fourth and final suitcase was hanging by a thread. I had visions of it bursting in the airport leaving a wake of jewelry and fat lady clothes.
We have held on to all of these faulty suitcases because my husband says they are going to be fixed on the fictional “someday.” I just won’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen.
So when my daughter asked me what I wanted for a gift the first thing out of my mouth was “A suitcase! One that isn’t broken! A pretty one!”
So when my daughter asked me what I wanted for a gift the first thing out of my mouth was “A suitcase! One that isn’t broken! A pretty one!”
I have had a severe case of “suitcase envy” for years. I stand forlornly beside the baggage carousel in McCarran and watch the lucky people who know exactly which suitcase is theirs.
“Look at that woman,” I say to myself “She has a red suitcase, she knows which one is hers! Ooh, and there is a silver one! Oh and animal print! No one could mistake that!” Obviously it is conceivable that other Vegas visitors could have the same or similar suitcases, but you have much better odds of locating yours when it is distinctive. I have seen my black suitcase lifted off the carousel and put back a number of times.
“Look at that woman,” I say to myself “She has a red suitcase, she knows which one is hers! Ooh, and there is a silver one! Oh and animal print! No one could mistake that!” Obviously it is conceivable that other Vegas visitors could have the same or similar suitcases, but you have much better odds of locating yours when it is distinctive. I have seen my black suitcase lifted off the carousel and put back a number of times.
As an owner of black luggage you have to play the “How to make a black suitcase look different from all the other black suitcases” game. We tie ribbons on the handles and put stickers on the sides and add various and assorted accoutrements to make them stand out. My husband (the electrician) wrapped yellow electrical tape around the handles of ours and I have never seen another bag decorated in quite that way. I always added the finishing touch of a glittery Vegas luggage tag to help with the identifying process.
My daughter and I set out to find my special suitcase. That involved running all over town checking prices and features. I found a perfectly serviceable one at Winners for $100, but IT WAS BLACK! I refuse to go down that road again. As God is my witness I will have a coloured suitcase or die trying.
We drove over to a large department store that, oddly enough, now has a lawsuit against it for having fake sales.
We saw a huge sign that said, “All Luggage 70% off!!” Wow…what a sale! We thought we had lucked into the best sale ever until we looked at the price tags. The 25-inch suitcases were all either $299 or $249. I am sure that none of those bags had ever been sold at that price before; they were just jacked up so that they could advertise a fantastic discount. Even though I was annoyed at them for their tactics, there was a beautiful teal blue suitcase winking at me from the sales floor. I examined every 25-inch suitcase in the building but kept returning to that one. Finally, it was decided that that one had to come home with us. I am now the proud owner of what I am sure is the most attractive suitcase ever made. I am so excited to pack for my next Vegas vacation in it!
I will be like a proud mama as my teal blue baby emerges from the shoot at McCarran baggage carousel. Heaven help those baggage handlers if they hurt it!
