Las Vegas

[John Bigboote]

I just got in on the 'red-eye' from 4 days in Las Vegas... never have been there before in my almost 50 years, here's my 'take'. 4 days is a very quick time, considering we took a day trip to Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon merits another visit someday for hiking thru the trails. Wow!

 

The Casinos: The Casinos are mind-blowing... expansive-expensive crowded beyond belief... and the OPULENCE! We walked and walked and walked... there must be easily 2 million slot machines in that town. Each casino with a new theme and all trying to outdo the next... the 72 million dollar hydro-pool in front of the Bellagio is ground-zero Vegas. The Luxor, the new CityCenter, the Wynn, New York NY on and on and on they go. Animation and large video screens are everywhere. The 'strip' is mobbed with wierdos, drunks, hot-hot-hot babes, families, religious zealots, beggars and leaflet handers. Families with young pre-teen children oogling the girls who are paid to dance 'go-go' (stripper) style or just the next-to-naked girls who are EVERYWHERE! I don't recommend taking your kids to Vegas.

 

OLD VEGAS: The 'Sinatra' side of town is still hoppin', but a lot creepier... more of the 'sideshow' element and crazies. The Fulton Street overhead video experience was cool. The best thing we did was to go back to the new part of town and go a couple of streets 'off-strip' to dine and drink. We found a Casino called Ellis Island Brewery and the food was TOP-NOTCH at prices that were dirt-cheep. A beer 'on-strip' can cost upwards of $12... I bought a round at Treasure Island (3 drinks) and the cost was $35...$40 with tip... I can't afford that. At Ellis Island a homebrew (delicious) 18 ounce was $1.75. So, if you go to Vegas... see the strip- but don't spend money there...go off strip. Dinner 'on-strip' is $40 and up a plate after a 2 hour wait.

 

The only show we did was 'Titanic' at the Luxor... for $30 was okay, I guess. Lots of relics scooped off the ship and ocean floor... a large section (30 feet) of the bulkhead... didn't learn too much new stuff that you could'nt learn by looking up 'Titanic' at your local library or Googling it. Next door was 'humans' where they had frozen cadavers posed in everyday situations but deskinned and cut into sections so you could look inside. I think that is great for Med-School, kind of Creepy in a hotel lobby where you exit next to a delicatessian. Passed on that.

 

I am not a gambler... so I lost prolly $50-$60 on slot machines... had fun. Looking around, nobody was winning anywhere, that city is ROLLING in an abundance of cash. It goes like that 24/7... tons of people losing tons of cash. Most of the high-rollers seemed to be Chinese. The Hotel and Airfare were pretty cheep, and that made up for the losses- I guess. Would I go back? Probably not, unless something comes up and I have to. But I think everyone should see it as the ever-growing spectacle of human excess that it is.

[Shelton]

Been there several times. Mainly for conferences and meetings. There was a small window in the late 90s and early 2004 when Vegas was wanting to get a way from sin city and bring in the family. Amusement park was built, hotels added roller coasters and we had fun while we there for a convention. Then in 2004 I noticed the park had closed and the roller coaster was gone from one of the hotels. Several new mammoth hotels were built and it was about the money and gambling. Soon after the campaign "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" came out. It is place to see once in your life but I will not go back. I am not a gambler and the total of my loses in Vegas to gambling after all the trips there is less than 50 dollars. It is an incredible thing to see coming across the desert on the highway and you see the lights for 25 or 30 miles away!

 

Steve

[robcat2075]

I was there in 2001 for a wedding. Gambling never enticed me so I don't "get" that. I guess there are "Broadway" plays you can see there but I read they are filed down to about 90 minutes in length or less so people will get back to gambling quickly.

 

My two Las Vegas stories:

 

The smallest superstar

 

 

Las Vegas Wedding

[fae_alba]

Many many moons ago I spent a week in Tahoe for a conference. On one night we went down to the casinos. Couldn't have spent a more boring evening than in the casinos. No thrill there for me!

[John Bigboote]

'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.' - I learned the real meaning of that. As I said, on the strip is a lot of people hawking lots of things, show specials, strip-bar deals, primarily escort services and stuff... there was an older looking fellow who didn't fit the mold, and he came after me and Dawn as we split-up to walk around a large group of people on the sidewalk... usually you can ignore these people but he came at me with... "Hey, I see you see me... I'M TALKING TO YOU!" so I relented with a 'what?' and he started on his spiel about a time-share opportunity at the Jockey Club... well, we were actually guests at the Jockey Club so he let us off the hook, but later on I saw him inside being 'schooled' by a superior for not hitting his 'quota' ... he had lost more than he could afford to pay and had been 'endentured' to earn it off by recruiting on the street. Makes you wonder how many other people are in that situation...

 

I liked Rob's story of the man on the plane!

[phatso]

Been there lots of times, I love it. But then I'm a sucker for putting on a suit and going out and being part of the glitz, even if I sneak off to a Burger King when it's time to eat. Don't gamble so I'm not in danger from that. I may move there for 3 months and maybe after that I'll hate the place. But if you want to see a wondrous car collection or great art, it's a fine place to do it.

 

Too bad there are so many gated neighborhoods, and that they're necessary. "It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid." - Star Trek

[Rodney]

I lived in Las Vegas for four years with the Air Force.

I discovered my favorite animation program and met some of the Hash Inc team there at Comdex in '94! (Didn't buy A:M until '98 though)

 

Its hard to summarize Las Vegas in just a few words. I met a lot of friends, have a lot some great memories and... learned I have absolutely no business gambling. The worst thing that can happen to you in Vegas is to win a lot of money... when you do you tend to think you can do it again.

 

There are two sides to Vegas; the place tourists go and the place people live.

I almost never went to the Strip unless someone I knew came to town that wanted a tour of it.

It use to be a pretty nice place to live with plenty of restaurants and shopping on the cheap.

I assume that is still true.

 

The main reason I wouldn't want to live in Vegas when I retire from the military... my two daughters will be high school age.

Another reason... most of the people I knew back then no longer live there.