Crazy things happen in Vegas.

In 72 hours, you can:

Gamble your life savings
Get hitched by a fake Elvis
Eat copious amounts of maki, pasta salad, prime rib and ice cream–all in the same buffet
Buy a condo on the Strip with your winnings and turn it into a Las Vegas vacation rental
Party with Mike Tyson, only to find his tiger in your bathroom

(Oh wait, that was a movie.)

Well, there’s another side of Sin City that singletons oft forget: the shopping. Yes, folks, there is life outside the casinos. From The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace to the Fashion Show (which hosts regular catwalk events), consumers can snag the best of the best in couture handbags, glitzy clubwear and casual and work gear from mainstream brands like The Limited, Kenneth Cole and Gap. And if you’re a bargain hunter, even better.

Several outlets are stationed in Vegas, including the Las Vegas Premium Outlets, the Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Outlet Center, which are more extensive than most disounters of their ilk. How many times have you been to an outlet emporium whose pride and joy seems to be the Nautica store? In Vegas, you’ll at least find fashions that belong to this decade–Ed Hardy and True Religion to name a few.

So in this season of spending, skip the blackjack table in favor of retail therapy. You’ll for sure be able to come home with goodies. The same won’t necessarily be said after a pull at the slot machines.

The words modest and Manhattan don’t typically belong in the same sentence, but if you’re willing to stay a little farther north (read: Harlem), your bank account will thank you.

The steps pictured lead to a Manhattan vacation rental priced well below any Midtown hotel at just $155 a night through Dec. 15. And it’s no matchbox either, people. You’ll be getting a whole one bedroom. In New York terms, that’s huge. It could mean squeezing in an extra bookcase, sofa or person. And in this case, you also get a full-sized kitchen.

We’re not talking kitchenette with a puny-excuse-for-a-hotel-refrigerator, but a tricked-out, Bosch dishwasher- and Wolf range-fitted chef’s station. (Check out those granite counters, glistening cabinets, deep sink and hood, the envy of any foodie.) The bathroom is equally impressive with its seamless glass shower wall and subway tile.

And for those very upgrades, you’ll feel better for staying here over a walkup in Chelsea, regardless of the “help yourself” bagels in the lobby. Save your dough for shopping and boozing.

Southwest Airlines and American Airlines just sweetened the pot for winter travelers: Fares as low as $25 each way to U.S. cities like Houston, Los Angeles and Chicago. The caveat: You have to book by Thursday, Oct. 29.

The deals on both carriers are valid on travel from Dec. 2 to Dec. 16, and Jan. 5 through Feb. 10. Fifty- to $100-each way flights to tourist destinations like Orlando, Miami and Nashville also exist, but for my taste, a winter visit to a Texas vacation rental sounds right up my-soon-to-be-snow-clogged winter alley.

Think about it.

Why on earth would you want to fly from Chicago to St. Louis in January? That’s like going from one tundra to the other.

Give me brisket, a 10-gallon hat and live music. Who cares if it’s only 60-degrees? That’s probably 60 degrees warmer than the Windy City.

So quick. Book your tickets. Cure the winter blues before that first dusting of snow.

Poor Nevada.

According to RealtyTrac’s latest foreclosure report, one in 23 households received a foreclosure filing, making it the highest state for mortgage defaults in the U.S. About 13 percent of the population are unemployed. It’s the kind of news that makes you wonder if in desperation, folks went to Las Vegas casinos in a last-ditch effort to win this month’s payment at the tables.

Lady Luck, you’re a glitzy gal in that feather headdress and sequin costume, but underneath, you can be awfully cruel.

Just curious: What kind of traffic have you Las Vegas vacation home owners had in the rental market? While residents are fleeing Sin City, surely tourists are still coming, right? You tell me @checkincheckout.

Fantasy Fest, South Florida’s answer to Mardi Gras, parades into town from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1–feather boas, queens, chaps, conchs and all. If you tried the hotel route and failed, it’s time to snag a Key West condo rental now if you still can. The kinky time seduces regulars from around the U.S. who come ready to show off their creative displays of body paint and a momentary flash of, um, courage for plastic beads. The hundreds of thousands of spectators and participants swell the tourist destination to a veritable island of hedonism.

Duval Street transforms into a dance party with floats, wigs, live music, drag shows and cat calls. If you’re the shy type, play voyeur. If you’re the exhibitionist, channel that naughty nurse. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you if it ends up on YouTube.

If you can’t squeeze the fest in this year, there’s always San Francisco, the capital of kink. Mardi Gras too vanilla for you? Head to the International Bear Rendezvous in February to watch dudes scout dudes who don’t mind a little hair around their chests and girth around their bellies. The celebration raises money for local and national HIV charities.  And for more leather daddies, hit the Folsom Street Fair in September.

It’ll be a hoot.

Since we had so much fun talking about ghosts yesterday, here’s another city for a scary getaway: Key West, Fla.

Margaritaville is notorious for its checkered past, from voodoo practices to pirates. Ernest Hemingway, who spent more than a decade there, liked it so much he reportedly is still hanging around. (Then again, if you’re going to be haunted by anyone, how cool would Hemingway be? Surely he’d be more friendly than the Lady in Blue, who was hung by an angry mob after she sliced up her husband and two boys, as legend has it. Supposedly she still lurks at Captain Tony’s, also a favorite bar of Hemingway’s, near the tree where she died. At the very least, you could chat with Mr. H about his books and offer him a mojito, his cocktail of choice, to bribe your way out of torture.)

I’ll leave it to the professionals at two tour companies–The Ghosts & Legends of Key West and Ghost Tours of Key West–to take you ghost hunting at landmarks like The Otto Mansion, the old city morgue and The Heritage House Museum. Personally, I’d rather be on the beach with a good book, say “The Garden of Eden,” or sitting in a Key West condo rental with my lost shaker and salt.

New England and fall go together like a fuzzy sweater and a cup of warm apple cider. And for this picturesque season rich in auburn, golds and browns, wouldn’t it a blast to pack up the SUV for a long weekend in a Maine vacation rental?

Bing Travel named the state as one of its 14 Best Destinations for Fall 2009, and it’s easy to see why. The forests are thick, the towns are as quaint as an Irish accent, what with their antique shops, lakes and wood cabins. And along with its insanely affordable vacation homes, Maine is so serious about its autumn tourism that it tracks color changes on a website called MaineFoliage.com.

Most of the state is in “low mode” right now, meaning that the leaves haven’t hit their gorgeous peak yet.

But don’t wait forever. Before you know it, it’ll be time to pick out a Christmas tree.

Much to my surprise, a few friends have decided to take off to the Indianapolis Colts season opener this weekend–without the kids.

In fact, come September, it’s a yearly tradition they share with their neighbors, who also have minors.

What I can’t get over: How they can sneak in a trip at the beginning of a school year. What? Really? Parents can do that? Assuming you have a babysitter, why yes you can.

For moi, while being in Indy does have its perks (decent drive, but not too far if I needed to rush home), a long weekend in a South Beach condo rental is more my scene. Strolling for eye candy along Ocean Drive, shopping on Lincoln Road and cocktailing poolside remind me of days when Hello Kitty birthday cakes and school supply lists weren’t on my radar.

A long weekend, in this parent’s mind anyway, should be as disparate from your day-to-day routine as possible. A cure to the baby blues? Perhaps a cocktail on the roof at the Mondrian or a couples massage at The Biltmore are in order.

Incidentally, I would be going on the Indy trip, but we couldn’t get a babysitter. So I’ll save my mommy trip for a vacation in 33139.

Just as you would be remiss in not trying a bowl of clam chowder in Boston, a plate of sloppy, hunky barbecue is an obligatory meal during your trip to a Texas vacation rental.

I have it on good local authority that some of the best is at Salt Lick BBQ in Austin, thanks to indoor smokers that tenderize brisket to moist, fall-off-the-bone lusciousness. It’s the kind of TLC that you’re better off leaving to someone else while you stay out of the kitchen.

If you prefer to make your own ‘cue, there’s a gas grill at this Austin vacation home, whose solo photo on the listing makes it all that more intriguing. “The feel is very much a place that Frida and Diego would feel right at home!” and  “a one of a kind place that does its best to ‘Keep Austin Weird’” are vague hints, but there’s nothing to really else to depict what’s in store inside this funky shack.

And yet, something’s telling me that meat grilled or smoked here would taste better than anything at Chili’s.

What do you think? Good enough for a visit?

It’s been awhile since a boat beauty has cruised into the blog, but when it does, it’s like that perfect crest of surf approaching the shore. It makes me giddy.

This San Diego vacation rental, one of several California vacation homes on our site, happens to be a yacht. What perfect way to end the summer than on a boat?

The Ohani Pacific docks at the picturesque Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, where bachelors and bachelorettes can descend with their entourages on a Brut-fuel night of dancing and taking snapshots by
starboard. (Check out picture seven in the listing gallery for laughs. Now that’s the group I’d like to be doing Blueberry Bombs with.)

For chiller nights, owners will arrange a San Diego Bay cruise from  two hours to a half day tour of up to six hours. If that two-carat cushion cut Tacori is up your sleeve, then maybe this is the place to propose. Cue music. Cue sunset.

And here’s one more surprise: Yacht guests will have access to hotel amenities like the pool, fitness center, hot tub and tennis courts. When it’s time to retire for the night, though, you’ll hit the curved beds in one of two state rooms. How cool is that? Pretty darn cool.