I have mixed feelings about McCarran Intl - in some ways it is really good and in others it seems so small time for an airport that sees millions of tourists per year.
When you fly in there you are pumped about being there and the ding ding of the slot machines gets you excited. Until you get to baggage claim and it takes a year and a half to get your bag. OR maybe that's just when you fly American or another super popular airline since it didn't take that long this time when I flew Frontier. Getting a cab is fairly easy but you have to queue up and if it is busy you will wait a while.
Check in at the gates has always been easy for me. Once you get your boarding pass you walk to the tram to take you to the gate. Why do you have to take a tram there? It is separate from the main building? Why are there so many restaurants and shops located before you go through security? I want to sit and drink at these places but I also want to be close to my gate.
Once you get to your gate they do have a selection of restaurants but I don't get why none of them really have waitresses. Counter service only. However, I'm not going to complain about Wolfgang Puck's express restaurant (Terminal D) - that chicken aioli sandwich was the bomb. I thought it was funny how every drink has a size choice - I wanted chardonnay. In the 6oz or 9oz? (Clearly the only choice was 9oz in my mind...) Beer in 16oz, 24oz, or 32oz. Ah Vegas, it is always about the cash!! Upsell! Upgrade!
The free WiFi was nice for surfing the net on my iPhone. The option to play slot machines is also nice if you are bored and haven't lost all your money already. People watching here is stellar too - and you can make up stories about them in your head. Or you can eavesdrop on people talking about all the crazy stuff that went on while in Vegas.
In the end it doesn't matter if you love it or hate it....you'll still come here because you want to go to Vegas.